May 1
1942: The U.S. government seizes the nation’s jukebox factories and puts them to work making war materials.
1955: An unknown guitarist named Chuck Berry is signed to Chess Records by Leonard Chess at the urging of Muddy Waters.
1955: On tour with Hank Snow's All Star Jamboree, Elvis Presley played three shows at the Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans, Louisiana. Sun Records had just released Elvis' 4th single, ‘Baby, Let’s Play House.’
1957: The first issue of 16 Magazine, featuring Elvis Presley on the cover, is published. It was published quarterly. The cost was 15 cents an issue. The magazine was, initially, edited by men writing under female pseudonyms, and it closely followed the style of more traditional movie magazines such as Photoplay. Its longtime editor in chief, former fashion model and subscriptions clerk Gloria Stavers, transformed the magazine from a standard general interest movie magazine into a major fan magazine that focused on the pre-teen female as its primary readerbase. Stavers was the editor in chief from 1958 until 1975. She chose to cater to that particular demographic because of the many fan letters she had read from girls aged nine through 12 who were writing to popular celebrities in care of the magazine.
1962: The Beatles started a month long residency at The Star Club, in Hamburg, Germany.
1964: The Beatles received $140,000 dollars for the rights to having their pictures included in packages of bubble gum in the USA.
1964: The Rolling Stones sign a management agreement with Andrew Loog Oldham and Eric Easton. Oldham, who worked for The Beatles, helps shape the Stones' rebellious image.
1965: Herman’s Hermits started a three week run at #1 on the US singles chart with 'Mrs Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter.'
1966: The Beatles made their final live, paid appearance in the UK when they played a 15 minute set at the NME Poll Winners concert at Empire Pool, Wembley. Also appearing were The Spencer Davis Group, The Fortunes, Herman's Hermits, Roy Orbison, Cliff Richard, The Rolling Stones, The Seekers, The Small Faces, Dusty Springfield, The Walker Brothers, The Who and The Yardbirds. The Fab Four were not filmed because a financial agreement could not be reached. Their last song is 'I'm Down.'
1967: The Jimi Hendrix Experience 'Hey Joe' b/w '51st Anniversary' 45 single is released. It became a hit in the United Kingdom, entering the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart in January 1967 and peaking at #6. The single was released failed to chart in the U.S. "Hey Joe", as recorded by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, remains the best-known version of the song that has been performed in many musical styles by hundreds of different artists since it was first written. It is listed as #201 on Rolling Stone magazine's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2009 it was named the 22nd greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.
1967: Elvis Presley (32) marries Priscilla Beaulieu (21) at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. This was the first marriage for them both and the only time Elvis was officially married. The cake cost $3200, which at the time was more than the price of an average car. Elvis gave his new bride a $4,000 ring that featured a three karat diamond surrounded by twenty smaller diamonds. She gave him a plain gold band. Priscilla's maid of honor was her sister, Michelle. Joe Esposito and Marty Lacker were duel best men, but the rest of the "Memphis Mafia" were conspicuously absent because they hadn't been invited. The only celebrity guest was comedian Redd Foxx, and the newlywed’s first dance was 'Love Me Tender.' The ceremony was followed by a reception for 80 guests. Lisa Marie Presley was born exactly nine months later to the day.
1967: The Beach Boys’ Carl Wilson is arrested for draft-dodging by the FBI. He is a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, and is eventually exonerated.
1968: Paul McCartney and John Lennon watch Bill Haley play Royal Albert Hall in London.
1969: Bob Dylan recorded an appearance for The Johnny Cash Show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. After two solo numbers from Dylan, Johnny Cash joined him for a rendition of 'Girl From The North Country'.
1970: Pink Floyd appeared at the Santa Monica Civic Center in California.
1970: Led Zeppelin performed at University of California- Irvine's Crawford Hall. Tickets were $4 and Lee Michaels was the support act.
1970: The Jimi Hendrix Experience played the first of 13 US shows this month when they appeared at the Milwaukee Auditorium.
1970: The Grateful Dead played at Alfred College in Alfred, New York.
1971: The Rolling Stones' 'Brown Sugar' is released. It would reach #1 in the US and #2 in the UK.
1972: Pink Floyd performed the first of two nights at New York’s Carnegie Hall.
1972: Jeff Beck Group release their self-titled 4th studio album. It reached #19 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's & Tape chart.
1973: Bachman-Turner Overdrive, featuring former Guess Who guitarist Randy Bachman, release their first album. The LP would take six months to hit the charts and over a year before the single 'Let it Ride' became a Top 25 hit.
1975: The Rolling Stones kick off their tour by rolling down 5th Avenue in New York City playing 'Brown Sugar' from the back of a flatbed truck. Ron Wood has joined the band, though not officially at this point.
1975: James Taylor﻿ released his 6th album, 'Gorilla.' It reached #6 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart. The track 'How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)' was a hit, topping the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and reaching #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
1975: Bachman-Turner Overdrive begin their first UK tour at the Glasgow Apollo. They are supported by Thin Lizzy.
1975: Styx received their first Gold record as 'Styx II' was certified Gold for selling 500,000 copies in the U.S.
1976: Led Zeppelin started a two-week run at #1 on the US album chart with 'Presence', the group's fifth #1 album.
1976: ‪Iron Maiden‬ played their first gig ever at St. Nicholas Hall in Poplar, London. The first lineup of the band: Dave Sullivan, Paul Day, Ron Rebel Matthews, Terry Rance and Steve Harris.
1977: The Clash launch their first U.K. tour. The forty show 'White Riot Tour' begins at London's Roxy Theatre (with openers The Jam and The Buzzcocks) and actually includes a 'riot' (audience goes wild ripping the bolted seats from the floor) at the Rainbow Theatre.
1978: David Bowie’s world tour stoped at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.
1979: Elton John became the first pop star to perform in Israel. In three weeks time he also became the first Western solo pop performer to tour Russia.
1979: Having become a born-again Christian, Bob Dylan begins work on his Gospel-oriented album 'Slow Train Coming.'
1980: The South African government banned Pink Floyd's single 'Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)' after black children adopted the song as their anthem in protest against inferior education.
1982: Joan Jett's 'I Love Rock 'N Roll' enters the 7th and final week at #1 on Bilboard's Hot 100.
1982: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes a debut from Joan Jett’s 'Crimson And Clover' #63. Aldo Nova’s 'Fantasy' was at #34, Asia’s 'Heat Of The Moment' at #20, Huey Lewis and the News’s 'Do You Believe In Love' at #7, and Paul McCartney with Stevie Wonder’s 'Ebony And Ivory' at #3‬.
1983: Lita Ford's debut solo album 'Out for Blood' is released.
1984: Mick Fleetwood filed for bankruptcy. The founder of Fleetwood Mac had released a solo album called 'The Visitor' in 1981. Although the critics loved it, 'The Visitor' ended up losing a lot of money, as did Fleetwood's real estate investments, leading to eventual financial ruin. It didn't help that he was spending thousands of dollars of cocaine a month.
1986: American songwriter and producer Hugo Peretti died aged 70. Wrote and produced many classic hits including, 'Can’t Help Falling In Love,' 'Twistin’ The Night Away' 'Shout,' 'The Hustle,' and 'You Make Me Feel Brand New.'
1988: Pink Floyd's, 'Dark Side of the Moon' finally dropped off the US albums chart after a run of 725 weeks (almost 14 years).
1988: Billy Joel escapes punishment for defamation charges brought against him by Jack Powers, whom he called a "creep" during an interview with Playboy magazine. The judge cited the 1st Amendment and dropped all charges.
1989: Victory released the album 'Culture Killed The Native.' The band’s guitarist is Herman Frank, who also plays with Accept.
1990: Billy Idol's 4th studio album, 'Charmed Life' is released. It reached #11 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart. The song, "Cradle of Love" was featured on the soundtrack to the movie, "The Adventures of Ford Fairlane," and is famous for its video, which won the 1990 MTV Video Music Award for "Best video from a film". The video, directed by David Fincher, features Betsy Lynn George as a teenager who knocks at her neighbor's door and asks to play a tape, before stripping to the music.
1990: Flotsam and Jetsam release their 3rd studio album, 'When the Storm Comes Down.' It reached #11 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart. It was their last album with Troy Gregory on bass guitar, as he left in 1991 to join Prong.
1993: Rage Against The Machine's self-titled debut lands on the U.S. album chart where it will stay for over a year.
1993: Supermodel Naomi Campbell announced her engagement to U2 bassist Adam Clayton. Campbell later called off the engagement but they remain friends to this day.
1993: Aerosmith's 'Livin' On The Edge' is in the 4th of 9 weeks at #1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs chart.
1995: Live’s 'Throwing Copper' hits #1 on the Billboard album charts, exactly one year after the day of its release.
1996: The Red Hot Chili Peppers album 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik' is certified multi-platinum for selling four-million copies. It was released five years earlier.
1997: Status Quo guitarist Rick Parfitt had a quadruple heart by-pass operation after visiting his doctor and complaining of chest pains.
1997: The house where Kurt Cobain committed suicide went up for sale. The asking price for the five-bedroom house built in 1902 was $3 million. The carriage house where the Nirvana guitarist died had been demolished.
1999: The Paintings of Paul McCartney exhibit opened at the Lyz Art Forum in Siegen, Germany. The exhibit featured 70 paintings by the former Beatle, including a piece called 'Bowie Spewing' McCartney's representation of a young David Bowie.
2000: A $1.8 million civil fraud suit is filed against Neil Young in Los Angeles Superior Court by a former Village Voice writer Jimmy McDonough, who claims Young reneged on an agreement to have a biography written about him when Young blocked the book's publication.
2002: John Lennon's home recordings (singing to his step-daughter Kyoko) are auctioned off in London for $195,000.
2005: Bruce Springsteen went to #1 on the UK album chart with 'Devils & Dust,' his 6th UK chart topper.
2005: Matchbox 20 singer Rob Thomas went to No.1 on the US album chart with his first solo album 'Something To Be.' This marked the first time a male artist from a rock group had debuted at number one with his first solo album since the Billboard Top 200 was introduced 50 years ago.
2006: Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards falls out of a palm tree at a private island resort in Fiji (or maybe not but he does have a head injury). Taken to a New Zealand hospital Richards receives treatment for a concussion. What would possess Richards to climb a palm tree? Reportedly, the accident occurred after drinking vodka all day and rum at night with fellow Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood. He is released from the hospital a couple days later.
2007: 'The Spider-Man 3' Soundtrack is released. The set includes 'Falling Star' from Jet plus previously unreleased tunes by Wolfmother ('Pleased To Meet You') and the Killers ('Move Away').
2007: 'The Hymns For Peace: Live At Montreux 2004' DVD documents a star-studded concert, led by Carlos Santana, at Switzerland's Montreux Jazz Festival. The two-disc set features an interview with Santana and behind-the-scenes footage.
2007: Alice Cooper's memoir 'Alice Cooper, Golf Monster' is in bookstores. As the title indicates the tome focuses on how Coop's love of golf helped him kick his alcohol dependency.
2007: Jon Bon Jovi guests on the Rock-themed edition of American Idol. He gives feedback to the remaining six contestants, who present their own renditions of Bon Jovi songs.
2007: Pete Townshend's Lifehouse Method project is launched. It's an online computer program that generates personalized music for users. "You enter data about yourself, you share some stuff about how you feel, and you get back a piece of music," says Townshend. The Who guitarist began developing the concept in conjunction with the group's aborted early-70s project Lifehouse, and used the program to write the song 'Fragments' for the band's 'Endless Wire' album.
2007: Rush release their 19th studio album, 'Snakes & Arrows.' Produced by Grammy-winner Nick Raskulinecz, the album is the trio's first studio effort in five years.
2007: Black Sabbath (with Ronie James Dio) release their 'Live at Hammersmith Odeon.' It was recorded over three nights on the Mob Rules Tour (Dec. 31st 1981, Jan. 1st & Jan. 2nd 1982).
2008: Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger is fined $588 and has his driver's license revoked for a year following his conviction for drunken driving. A judge in Surrey, Canada, gives Kroeger the minimum sentence for his 2006 offense.
2008: Seether spearheads a charity campaign for Kids Help Phone, which offers free counseling and support for Canadian youth.
2008: Having been fired from Velvet Revolver only a month earlier, Scott Weiland performs with a reunited Stone Temple Pilots on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live.
2008: Bruce Springsteen and Peter Gabriel make Time magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people. And so does Radiohead (in the Builders & Titians category) for delivering 'In Rainbows' directly to online consumers.
2009: 'A Road To Recovery' benefit concert in New York features Rage Against The Machines' Tom Morello, Alice In Chains' Jerry Cantrell and Jane's Addiction singer Perry Farrell. The foundation is dedicated to helping young people battle addiction and other adversities by harnessing the influence of entertainment industry professionals who have confronted similar crises.
2009: Deep Purple's Steve Morse helps set a Guinness World Record for the largest guitar ensemble at the annual 'Thanks Jimi Festival' in Wroclaw, Poland. A crowd of 6,346 players perform DP's 'Smoke On The Water' and the Jimi Hendrix classic 'Hey Joe' "It looked like we were in a forest," wrote Morse. "Nothing but guitars for as far as you could see."
2009: A anonymous fan won a two hour, one on one guitar lesson with Queen's Brian May after bidding more than 7,500 pounds at a charity auction in London. The auction was held in support of the Action for Brazil's Children Trust, of which May is a patron.
2009: The voices and images of KISS' Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are featured in the first of two episodes of the animated Nickelodeon series 'The Fairly OddParents.' The second segment airs two days later. The episodes are part of a three part installment titled 'Wishology.'
2010: Stone Temple Pilots' single 'Between The Lines' hits #1 on Billboard's Rock and Alternative charts. It is the first track off the group's self-titled album.
2010: 'Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage,' a documentary about the Canadian band, wins The Heineken Audience Award at New York's Tribeca Film Festival.
2010: The two-day Bamboozle Festival gets rolling in Rutherford, NJ. Paramore headlines the first day and Weezer the next. This is Paramore's fifth appearance at the festival but first as a headliner. It's also Weezer's festival debut.
2011: Longtime National Rifle Association supporter Ted Nugent speaks and performs at the NRA's annual meeting in Pittsburgh. On a stage decorated with automatic weapons, he tells the audience they should ratchet up their efforts to publicize gun rights. "You need to fix everybody in your lives to be absolutely pro-gun," says Nugent. "You need to talk guns all the time. You need to talk hunting all the time. The gun community should be all about public relations."
2011: Kid Rock is given the NAACP's Great Expectations Award during ceremonies held at Detroit's Cobo Center. Rock delivers the keynote address at the Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner despite protests over his use of the Confederate flag in his shows.
2012: Pennywise release their 10th studio album, 'All Or Nothing.' It's the group's first set with vocalist Zoli Teglas.
2012: Marilyn Manson's 'Born Villain' album is released. It features of cover of Carly Simon's 'You're So Vain' with Johnny Depp.
2012: The Red Hot Chili Peppers release 'We Salute You,' an EP with covers of songs originally recorded by the Ramones, Iggy & the Stooges, Neil Young, David Bowie, Beach Boys and Dion & The Belmonts.
2012: Jack White's debut solo album, 'Blunderbuss,' debuts at #1 on the U.K. album chart.
2012: 'The Avengers Assemble,' the soundtrack for the film The Avengers is released. The compilation includes Buckcherry's 'Wherever I Go,' with songs by Soundgarden, Rise Against, and Shinedown. The film is in theaters three days later.
2012: Tom Morello leads a May Day Occupy Wall Street protest from Bryant Park to lower Manhattan. He also releases a free download of his documentary 'World Wide Rebel Tour' in honor of International Worker's Day.
2012: 'The Beatles: On The Road 1964-1966,' a collection of photographs by Harry Benson, is in bookstores. The book initially retails for over $600.
2013: A Minnesota man is arrested for impersonating Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour and racking up more than $100,000 in medical bills. While at the hospital, he signs autographs.
2013: ‪Stephen Pearcy‬ released his book 'Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll: My Life In Rock.'
2013: Black Sabbath record the second of two shows in Melbourne, Australia, which makes up the 'Live...Gathered In Their Masses' DVD.
2014: John Fogerty, John Mellencamp, Darius Rucker, Stevie Nicks and Dusty Hill are heard in public service announcements for Veterans Matter, an Ohio based charity dedicated to decreasing the number of homeless former military service people. The campaign runs for a month.
2014: Former Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera's autobiography "My Bloody Roots: From Sepultura To Soulfly And Beyond" is released.
2017: KISS performed at the Olympijskiy Stadium in Moscow, Russia.
2018: Gibson Brands Inc., maker of Gibson guitars, filed for bankruptcy protection after wrestling with debt for years. Founded in 1894, the Nashville based company also makes the Epiphone guitars and Wurlitzer pianos.

May 2
1956: For the first time in the history of Billboard's record charts, the same five songs appear in both the Pop and R&B Top Ten. They are: Elvis Presley's 'Heartbreak Hotel' (#1 Pop, #6 R&B), Carl Perkins' 'Blue Suede Shoes' (#4 Pop, #3 R&B), Little Richard's 'Long Tall Sally' (#9 Pop, #1 R&B), The Platters' 'Magic Touch' (#10 Pop, #7 R&B) and Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers' 'Why Do Fools Fall in Love' (#7 Pop, #4 R&B).
1956: The Biggest Rock and Roll Show of '56 packs 'em in with Bill Haley & His Comets and Bo Diddley, among other acts. The caravan tour starts in Hershey, PA.
1956: With 'Folsom Prison Blues' still riding high on the Country charts, Sun Records releases Johnny Cash's ode to staying faithful while on the road, 'I Walk The Line.' It would prove to be Johnny's breakthrough hit, reaching #1 on Billboard's Country chart and #17 on the Hot 100. As for 'Folsom Prison Blues,' a 'live' version of the song that was recorded at the prison itself would be a hit all over again in 1968.
1960: Production began on Elvis Presley's 'G.I. Blues,' It was his first post-Army movie.
1960: In the aftermath of the payola scandal, Billboard magazine reports that many radio stations are adopting what they called a "better music" format and banning Rock and Roll.
1960: Dick Clark testifies before a Congressional committee investigating payola (and is cleared).
1960: The Everly Brothers had the ninth-fastest rising song in rock history (74-15) with 'Cathy's Clown.'
1963: The Beatles were at #1 on the UK singles chart with 'From Me To You', the group's first #1 and the first of eleven consecutive #1's. The title of the song was inspired from a letters column called 'From You To Us' that ran in the British music newspaper, The New Musical Express.
1964: The Beatles held on to #1 for a fifth week with 'Can't Buy Me Love.' It was the 14th week in a row that the Beatles had owned the #1 song (from 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' to 'She Loves You' to 'Can't Buy Me Love').
1964: 'The Beatles' Second Album' reaches #1 on the Billboard LP chart in just its second week of release. It was the first album ever to make it to the top that quickly.
1964: For the first time in 51 weeks, The Beatles were not at the top of the UK album chart as they were finally unseated by The Rolling Stones debut LP.
1964: The Rolling Stones made their first appearance on the US singles chart when 'Not Fade Away' entered the chart at #98.
1965: Despite his vow that they would never be invited back, Ed Sullivan includes The Rolling Stones on his Sunday night variety show, along with Tom Jones and Dusty Springfield. Sullivan would later say that he received "thousands of calls complaining" about The Stones. To prevent any disturbances among the group’s fans, The Stones were locked in the Ed Sullivan Show studios for the entire day. They performed 'The Last Time,' 'Little Red Rooster,' 'Everybody Needs Somebody' and '2120 South Michigan Avenue.'
1966: Simon & Garfunkel released the single 'I Am a Rock.'
1966: The Mamas & The Papas' 'Monday Monday' hits #1 on the Billboard Pop charts.
1967: Capitol Records announce the abandonment of Brian Wilson's 'Smile' album. Wilson took over a year to compose and produce the LP, but after hearing The Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper' album, he became convinced that 'Smile' would be seen as second best. It would eventually be released on September 28th, 2004 on CD and a two-disc vinyl LP.
1969: Jimi Hendrix appears at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
1969: The Allman Brothers Band played at College Discotheque in Macon, Georgia.
1969: Elvis Presley finished filming his last movie, 'Change of Habit.'
1969: The Who gave a press preview of their new rock opera 'Tommy' at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London. The actual album wouldn't be released to the record buying public until May 23.
1969: The Beatles recorded a re-make of the new George Harrison song ‘Something’ at Abbey Road Studios in London. They recoded 36 takes of the song, which included Billy Preston on piano.
1969: Pink Floyd appeared at Manchester Chamber Of Commerce in England. The show was recorded for the forthcoming album 'Ummagumma.'
1969: Led Zeppelin played the first of two nights at the Pasadena Rose Palace in Pasadena, California.
1970: Norman Greenbaum's Gospel / Rock hit 'Spirit In The Sky' topped both the UK record chart and the Cash Box Best Sellers list. Greenbaum would later tell Rolling Stone magazine, "I'm just some Jewish musician who really dug Gospel music. I decided there was a larger Jesus Gospel market out there than a Jehovah one."
1971: Hawkwind played at The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London.
1971: It's day two of the Mayday protests, as demonstrators fed up with the war in Vietnam try to shut down the US government by blocking off streets and bridges in Washington, DC. Thousands of arrests are made, many to bystanders who have nothing to do with the protest. At the foot of the Washington Monument, where much of the action is taking place, Jonathan Edwards performs his new song, 'Sunshine.' As the arrests continue, he plays the song over and over, "because there's no better song for the soundtrack of that movie."
1972: Bruce Springsteen auditioned for CBS Records A&R man John Hammond in New York. Springsteen played a short set for him in his office; Hammond was so impressed that he arranged a real audition that night at the Gaslight Club in New York for other Columbia executives. Bruce passed the audition.
1973: King Crimson played at Alpine Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1974: Genesis performed at Massey Hall in Toronto.
1975: Alice Cooper appears at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.
1975: The Beatles closed down Apple Records.
1977: Eric Clapton recorded 'Wonderful Tonight.'
1977: It took three and a half years but Bruce Springsteen's 'The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle' goes gold.
1978: David Bowie performed at the Civic Centre Arena in Ottawa, Canada.
1978: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 'You're Gonna Get It!' album is released. It reached #23 on Billboard's Top LP's & Tapes chart. Originally, the album was to be titled 'Terminal Romance.'
1979: Roxy Music played at De Montfort Hall in Leicester, England.
1979: Van Halen release their 6th single 'Dance The Night Away.'
1979: The Who introduced their movie, 'Quadrophenia,' as well as their new drummer, Kenny Jones. Jones had been a member of The Small Faces with Steve Marriott.
1980: Pink Floyd's hit single 'Another Brick in the Wall (Part II),' with its chorus of kids chanting "We Don't Need No Education", is banned by the South African government. Black children, upset about inferior education, adopt the song as their anthem. The government says the song is "prejudicial to the safety of the state."
1980: The Grateful Dead performed at the Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia.
1981: Eric Clapton peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with 'I Can’t Stand It' which was Clapton’s 4th top 10 single in the U.S.
1982: Adam and the Ants call it quits when Adam Ant departs for a solo career.
1983: Iron Maiden's 'World Piece Tour' begins.
1983: The Kinks released their comeback single 'Come Dancing.'
1986: Judas Priest kicked off their 'Fuel For Life' Tour is support of 'Turbo' at the Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque. Openers included Bon Jovi, Dokken, Krokus, Loudness and Warlock.
1987: 'The Finer Things' by Steve Winwood remained at #1 for a second week on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1987: Billboard’s Hot 100 debuts Europe’s 'Rock The Night' at #87 & Duran Duran’s 'Meet El Presidente' at #86. Genesis’ 'In Too Deep' was #39, Bon Jovi’s 'Wanted Dead Or Alive' at #29, Poison’s 'Talk Dirty To Me' at #19, and Lou Gramm's 'Midnight Blue' was #12‬.
1988: Poison's sophomore album, 'Open Up And Say... Ahh,' enters the LP chart where it rises to # 2.
1988: Melissa Etheridge﻿'s self-titled debut album is released. It reached #22 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart. Four tracks hit the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart - 'Bring Me Some Water' (#10), 'Like the Way I Do' (#28), 'Chrome Plated Heart' (#22) and 'Similar Feature' (#6).
1989: The Cure's 8th studio album, 'Disintegration' is released. It reached #12 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart, and #3 on the UK Albums chart. It is #326 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".
1991: The Rolling Stones are cited for Outstanding Contribution to British Music at the 36th Ivor Novello Awards in London. The honor is named after the Cardiff, Wales born entertainer Ivor Novello and has been presented annually by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors since 1955.
1991: The video for the R.E.M. song 'Losing My Religion', was banned in Ireland because its religious imagery was seen as unfit for broadcast.
1991: Nirvana booked into Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California for 16 days. On a budget of $65,000 and with Butch Vig producing the band started recording what would become the ‘Nevermind’ album.
1992: Nirvana's 'Come As You Are' peaks at #32 on the pop chart.
1992: Bonnie Raitt is awarded an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in Boston.
1992: Tom Petty rushed the release of his song 'Peace in L.A' following the Rodney King riots. Petty had written and recorded the song only a day before.
1992: Metallica reached the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart for the 4th time as 'Nothing Else Matters' peaked at #34.
1994: Varg Vikernes, leader of the Norwegian black metal band Burzum, begins his trial for the murder of rival black metal musician (and former bandmate) Oystein Aarseth, co-founder of the band Mayhem. The two men had had a confrontation in August of 1993 which ended with the fatal stabbing of Aarseth. Vikernes was convicted at the trial and was sentenced to 21 years in prison; however he was released early in May of 2009 on probation and currently continues to do business as Burzum, with several albums released since then. He still has fans.
1995: Slaughter released their 3rd studio album, 'Fear No Evil.'
1995: Pink Floyd's album 'The Wall' goes Diamond, with sales of over 10 million in the US. It later eclipses that total with sales of well over 20 million.
1997: U2 begin a U.S. trek with Rage Against The Machine as the supporting act. The first stop is in Salt Lake City.
1997: The Wallflowers performed in the parking lot of the Hard Rock Cafe in Orlando, Florida to raise money for Kids for the World.
1998: Heavy metal guitarist Hideto "Hide" Matsumoto (of X-Japan) commits suicide at age 33 by hanging himself.
2000: Deep Purple appear on U.S. radio show, Rockline.
2000: Metallica chatted online with the fans about their Napster woes. The band also turned over a list of 300-thousand Napster users to the company, who they accused of copyright infringement.
2000: Asia released their 8th studio album, 'Rare.'
2003: The Donnas celebrate their 10th Anniversary.
2004: Total Guitar magazine's readers voted Guns N' Roses' anthem ‘Sweet Child O' Mine’ as the greatest guitar riff ever ahead of Nirvana's grunge anthem ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. Led Zeppelin's ‘Whole Lotta Love’ came third, followed by Deep Purple's ‘Smoke On The Water’. Total Guitar editor Scott Rowley said: "To a new generation of guitarist's, Guns N' Roses are more thrilling than the Sex Pistols."
2005: It's announced that Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington has split with his wife, Samantha, due to 'irreconcilable differences'. In other Linkin Park news, the group seeks an end to their contract with Warner Music Group. They are distraught over the label's financial condition and commitment to its artists. Linkin Park, who sold more than 35 million CDs, represents 10% of WMG's worldwide sales.
2005: During a Boston club gig to promote his solo album, guitarist Joe Perry is joined by fellow Aerosmith bandmate Steven Tyler who plays harmonica and provides backing vocals.
2005: Eric Clapton joined former Cream members drummer Ginger Baker and bass player Jack Bruce for the first of four nights at London's Royal Albert Hall 36 years after they had split up. Tickets were changing hands for more than £500 on eBay and fans had flown over from the USA to witness the reunion, which Clapton aged 60, is said to have agreed to because of the failing health of the other former members of the band.
2006: Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards was released from hospital in New Zealand after the 62 year-old suffered "mild concussion" when he fell out of a coconut tree while on holiday in Fiji. He was airlifted to Auckland's Ascot Hospital for observation, where he underwent a brain scan.
2006: Donna D'Errico from Baywatch filed for divorce from Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx.
2006: Pearl Jam release their first studio effort for their new label, J Records. PJ's 8th self-titled studio album contains the single 'World Wide Suicide.'
2006: Tool release their 4th studio album, '10,000 Days.' The group also launches a North American tour in support of the album. It starts in Seattle and ends three weeks later in Boston. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
2006: Apple stores in the UK and North American conduct advance listening parties for the Red Hot Chili Peppers' 'Stadium Arcadium' double album that is released a week later.
2006: Godsmack's 'IV,' tops the Billboard 200 chart. Selling 211,000 copies in its first week the album is the second CD from the Boston group to debut at #1. '03's 'Faceless' was the first.
2006: White Stripes singer-guitarist Jack White and his wife, Karen Elson, welcome their daughter (and first child) Scarlett Teresa into the world. The girl's name comes from Gone With the Wind character Scarlett O'Hara and White's mother, respectively.
2006: Shinedown help rebuild homes for those affected by Hurricane Katrina, and raise awareness for the New Orleans Habitat for Humanity initiative. They also serve up an acoustic set.
2007: U2 frontman Bono offers his support to a bipartisan group of U.S. legislators who are pushing a bill to add $10 billion to a global-education fund. "I can't vote for any of them, but I'm thankful for what they're doing," says Bono. Also, the singer presents the Front Line Award for Human Rights Defenders to Gege Katana, an activist from the Democratic Republic of Congo, at a ceremony in Dublin, Ireland.
2007: The first of three sold-out concerts paying tribute to Boston frontman Brad Delp is held in Arlington, MA. 'In My Life: A Concert for Brad' features members of Delp's Beatles tribute act BeatleJuice. Delp committed suicide, two months earlier, on March 10.
2007: FOX's American Idol gets down to the nitty-gritty while the finalists get some pointers during a Bon Jovi appearance. Jon Bon Jovi had previously advised each contestant on their performance.
2008: 'Inside The Fire,' the lead single from Disturbed's 'Indestructible' album, reaches the top spot on Radio & Records' Active Rock Chart. It's the group's 6th song to reach #1 on the survey.
2008: 'Iron Man' is in theaters. Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello makes a brief cameo as a terrorist-and meets an untimely demise. He's Insurgent #5 in the movie and his guitar work is heard on the soundtrack.
2008: 3 Doors Down headline the two-day 23rd annual Schaeffer Eye Center Crawfish Boil in Birmingham, AL. Seether and Candlebox also are on the bill.
2008: A collection of photos by Bryan Adams of Mick Jagger and Rod Stewart, among others, is on display in New York. The two-week Hear The World Ambassadors exhibition is part of an initiative to raise awareness of hearing loss.
2008: Ringo Starr discusses his life as a member of The Beatles and his solo career on a HBO special-'Ringo Starr: Off The Record.'
2009: Bon Jovi make their first-ever appearance at the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. It's the Jazz Fest's 40th anniversary.
2009: Bob Dylan mingled unnoticed with other Beatles tourists during a minibus tour to John Lennon's childhood home. He was one of 14 tourists to examine photos and documents in the National Trust-owned home, where Lennon grew up with his aunt Mimi and uncle George. Dylan who was on a day off on a European tour paid £16 for the public trip to the 1940s house in Woolton, Liverpool.
2010: KoRn is a featured act on the Jagermeister Music Tour that starts at the House of Blues in North Myrtle Beach, SC. "KoRn is not only a Grammy-winning band, but one that had been vocal about their love for Jagermeister since the '90s," says Bill Henderson, Jagermeister Senior Vice President of Marketing and Advertising. And please, always listen to KoRn responsibly.
2010: A flood in Nashville damages the Grand Ole Opry House and Country Music Hall of Fame. John Fogerty, Brad Paisley, Vince Gill and Keith Urban are among those who lose guitars and other equipment that is held in a storage facility. Also destroyed are the bass used on the Hank Williams song 'Your Cheatin' Heart,' and a Stratocaster owned by Jimi Hendrix.
2011: 'Iron Maiden: In The Studio,' a behind-the-scenes look at the band, is in U.K. bookstores.
2011: Maryland's Consumer Protection Division settles with both Ticketmaster and TNOW Entertainment Group over allegations that the two companies knowledgeably misled consumers looking to purchase tickets to a '09 Bruce Springsteen concert in Washington, D.C. The companies are fined. According to Maryland's protection division, Springsteen fans looking for tickets on Ticketmaster's website were misled and directed to the TicketsNow resale site where tickets were sold at inflated prices.
2011: Jack White's solo debut, 'Blunderbuss' is #1 on the Billboard 200. It sells 138,000 copies during its first week.
2012: Greg Ham's funeral takes place at the Fitzroy Town Hall in Melbourne, Australia, with more than 300 mourners attending. The Men at Work flute player died two weeks earlier on April 19, at his home in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton North.
2012: Two instrumental tracks by Aerosmith's Joe Perry are featured on the CBS crime series 'CSI.' "The first piece is pure adrenaline Rock n' Roll. The second gave me a chance to work for my DJ son Roman, who contributed some of his electronic dance music," says Perry. The episode is titled 'Dune And Gloom.'
2013: Jeff Hanneman of Slayer passed away at the age of 49. Hanneman died of liver failure in a Southern California hospital near his home in Los Angeles. On May 9, 2013, the official cause of death was announced as alcohol-related cirrhosis. Hanneman and his family had apparently been unaware of the extent of the condition until shortly before his death. The guitarist had been suffering from necrotising fasciitis, a flesh-eating disease that he is believed to have contracted from a spider bite in 2011.
2013: Bassist Adam Seward leaves Against Me! "No drama here. I reached a point where I need to focus on other things," says Seward. "The last 10 years ruled." Seward's departure follows drummer Jay Weinberg's exit months earlier.
2013: The Global Citizen Tickets Initiative is launched. Live music fans can undertake a variety of social actions, ranging from signing petitions to calling their representatives, to earn points they can use to win free tickets to concerts. Participating artists include Black Sabbath, Foo Fighters, Kings Of Leon, Nine Inch Nails, No Doubt, Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young.
2014: Robert Plant announced that he had signed a new deal with Nonesuch Records in preparation for his 10th solo album.
2014: Motley Crue singer Vince Neil becomes part-owner of the Jacksonville Sharks of the Arena Football League. KISS members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons already own the AFL team L.A. KISS.
2015: Lamb Of God frontman Randy Blythe opens a two month photography exhibition entitled 'D RANDALL BLYTHE: Show Me What You're Made Of' at Sacred Gallery in Manhattan's SoHo District.
2015: Andrew W.K. premieres his weekly two-hour radio show that discusses "what it is to be alive-a celebration of life itself." The show is on Glenn Beck's radio network.
2015: The 3rd annual Metallica Night at AT&T Park in San Francisco has the band wearing black Giants jerseys as they perform the U.S. national anthem. Drummer Lars Ulrich throws out the game's first pitch.
2016: Red Sun Rising land their second #1 single on the Rock Radio Chart with 'Emotionless.' 'The Otherside' was the first. The song is from the group's debut album, 'Polyester Zeal.'
2016: 'Steven Tyler... Out On A Limb' at Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall in New York City is a collaboration between the Aerosmith frontman and director Brett Ratner to benefit Janie's Fund, Tyler's charity that helps girls overcome the trauma of abuse and neglect. The performance includes stories from Tyler's childhood to life with Aerosmith.
2017: Fozzy release their new single 'Judas.'
2017: Lawyers for The Eagles sought an injunction against a Todos Santos hotel using the name Hotel California. The complaint alleged that the hotel also plays Eagles' music and sells T-shirts that refer to the hotel as "legendary," which leave consumers with the impression that "they have visited the Hotel California made famous by the Eagles." The establishment originally opened under that name in 1950, but went through subsequent ownership and name chan ges. The Eagles' iconic song was released in 1976.

May 3
1958: Alan Freed has trouble on his hands when a brawl breaks out following a Big Beat Show at the Boston Arena (a hockey rink) featuring Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly. Several of the estimated 5,000 teens in attendance are injured and Freed will later be charged with incitement of a riot and destruction of property. Rock and Roll became demonized in Boston, and the city did not host another Rock concert until 1964, when The Beatles came through.
1964: Gerry And The Pacemakers make their US television debut on the Ed Sullivan Show a full month before their first appearance on the Billboard chart with 'Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying.'
1965: The Beatles were kept busy filming scenes for their forthcoming film 'Help!' on Salisbury Plain with the British Army's Third Tank Division.
1965: The Who play the Majestic Ballroom in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England.
1967: Beach Boy Carl Wilson goes to court on draft evasion charges.
1967: Pink Floyd performed at Moulin Rouge in Ainsdale, Lancashire, England.
1968: The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded 'Voodoo Chile.' It was featured on the 'Electric Ladyland' double album and became an UK #1 single on November 21, 1970 two months after the guitarist's death.
1968: The Beach Boys tour with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The Maharishi's lectures on spiritual enlightenment bomb and the tour falls apart.
1969: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrest Jimi Hendrix at Toronto's International Airport for possession of narcotics. He was released on $10,000 bail until his acquittal the following December. He claims a fan gave him the drugs and that he had no idea what they were.
1971: Grand Funk Railroad "consent" to meet with members of the press, who have never treated the group with respect, despite their string of Gold records. 150 reporters were invited to New York's Gotham Hotel. Only 6 showed up.
1971: At a Coopenhagen, Denmark gig at K.B. Hallon, Led Zeppelin played 'Four Sticks' live for the only time in their career. They also play 'Misty Mountain Hop' for the first time in concert.
1972: Pink Floyd played at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.
1974: Led Zeppelin launches its Swan Song label.
1974: Status Quo release their 7th studio album, 'Quo.' It reached #2 on the UK Albums chart. Despite the band believing the album's opening track, 'Backwater,' was the most suitable candidate for release as a single, the only track to actually be released as a single was 'Break the Rules,' in April 1974, and it reached in the UK at #8.
1975: Chicago started a two week run at #1 on the US album chart with 'Chicago VIII', the group's third US #1.
1976: David Bowie played the first of six sold out nights at Wembley, on his 'Station To Station' tour, his first UK gig in three years.
1976: Paul McCartney makes 'is first concert appearance in America in almost ten years as Wings kick off the 32-date 'Wings Over America' tour at the Tarrant County Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas. The show is McCartney's first U.S. performance since The Beatles last concert in 1966 at Candlestick Park
1976: Aerosmith release their 4th studio album 'Rocks.' It reached #3 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart, and charted three singles on the Billboard Hot 100, two of which reached the Top 40 ('Back in the Saddle' #38 and 'Last Child' #21). It is ranked #176 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
1977: Paul Simon, Phoebe Snow, Jimmy Cliff and others perform a benefit for the New York Public Library that raises $30,000..
1978: 'FM,' a film about the struggles of a radio station, debuts in Los Angeles. The soundtrack features Steely Dan, Steve Miller, The Eagles, Neil Young, Billy Joel and Warren Zevon. More people would buy the soundtrack than bothered to see the film.
1978: The first date of a 12-date UK tour by The Climax Blues Band supported by Dire Straits.
1980: Bob Seger's album, 'Against The Wind,' begins a six week run at the top of the U.S. album chart. The record stays on the chart for 110 weeks.
1981: Motley Crue release their first single 'Stick To Your Guns,' with the b-side 'Toast of the Town.' The single was later pressed in the United States by Carry Doll, a Motley Crue fan who was living in the LA area.
1983: Pink Floyd's 'Not Now John' (Obscured Version) b/w 'The Hero's Return, Parts I and II' 45 single is released. It comes from Pink Floyd's 1983 album, 'The Final Cut.' The track is the only song from the album featuring the vocals of David Gilmour, found in the verses, with Roger Waters singing the refrains and interludes, and was the only single released from the album, though the word "f***" was obscured in the single release.
1984: The vintage line-up of Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord and Paice reunited as Deep Purple.
1985: The Firm's 'Satisfaction Guaranteed' b/w 'Closer' 45 single is released. Featuring former Free and Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers, ex-Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, ex-Uriah Heep and Manfred Mann's Earth Band drummer Chris Slade and bass player Tony Franklin. The band made two albums in the mid-80’s. 'Satisfaction Guaranteed' was the 2nd single from their self-titled debut. It reached #73 in the Billboard charts.
1985: Grim Reaper released their album 'Fear No Evil.' The album peaked at #111 on the Billboard chart.
1986: Robert Palmer's 'Addicted To Love' tops the Billboard singles chart on its way to becoming a world-wide million seller. Originally recorded as a duet with Chaka Khan, her record company wouldn't grant her a release to work on Palmer's label, Island Records, and her voice was removed.
1986: Bob Seger's 'American Storm' album, with 'Like A Rock,' peaks at #13 on the U.S. album chart.
1988: Queensryche released their 3rd studio album 'Operation: Mindcrime.' The album reached #50 on the Billboard charts.
1988: Poison released their 2nd studio album 'Open Up and Say... Ahh!' It reaches #2 on Billboard’s 200 album chart on June 18, 1988 and spends 70 total weeks on the chart. The album peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart.
1988: Living Colour release their debut album, 'Vivid.' It would take almost a year to catch on, as the band slowly builds a following through touring, radio play and MTV. It reached #6 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart. The track, 'Cult Of Personality' reached #13 on The Billboard Hot 100 chart and #9 on the Mainstream Rock chart. 'Glamour Boys' also reached the Top 40 (#31). The album sells over 2 million copies, and 'Cult of Personality' wins a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1990. They were also named Best New Artist at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards.
1993: Guns N' Roses release their 13th single, 'Civil War.'
1994: To launch their 'Voodoo Lounge' tour, The Rolling Stones sailed a boat down the Hudson River in New York.
1997: Ten months after its release, the Wallflowers' 'Bringing Down The Horse' peaks at #4 on the U.S. album chart.
2000: AC/DC's 'Stiff Upper Lip' goes Gold in the U.S.
2000: The Offspring's 1994 breakthrough album 'Smash' is certified platinum by the RIAA for the sixth time.
2001: A news release states George Harrison has undergone cancer surgery. Early prognosis is good but it doesn't last.
2003: Ozzy Osbourne announces he is leaving his record label Sony after 23 years after becoming bored with the partnership, and because of the departure of Sony's controversial boss, Tommy Mottola.
2004: Scorpions released their 15th studio album, 'Unbreakable.' This was their first album with Paweł Mąciwoda on bass guitar.
2004: The US Supreme Court rejected an appeal by two musicians who claimed they were owed royalties from Ozzy Osbourne. Bassist Robert Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake had fought a long-running battle since 1997 with the Osbourne family claiming they were entitled to money from the albums ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ and ‘Diary of a Madman.’ Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy's wife and manager, said that the pair had "harassed" her family and had had their contributions removed from the albums because of their "abusive and unjust behavior".
2004: Disturbed taps ex-Union Underground member John Moyer to fill the bass slot vacated late in 2003 by Steve 'Fuzz' Kmak.
2004: The prosecutor in the misdemeanor drug case against Courtney Love says she tested positive for cocaine and other drugs after her October 2003 arrest. Assistant City Attorney Jerry Baik declines to identify the other drugs.
2005: Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry releases his self-titled solo album. He covers The Doors' 'Crystal Ship' and Woody Guthrie's 'Vigilante Man.' 'Shakin' The Cage' is the first single. It reaches #110 on the Billboard charts.
2005: Nine Inch Nails release their 4th studio album, 'With Teeth.' A N.I.N. tour headed by Trent Reznor, with vocalist Alessandro Cortini, guitarist Aaron North, A Perfect Circle/ex-Marilyn Manson bassist Jeordie White and drummer Jerome Dillon is already underway.
2005: Limp Bizkit's release their 5th album, 'The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1),' containing 'The Truth.'
2006: A London court rules that Purple Haze Records does not have the right to distribute or sell Jimi Hendrix's music. Experience Hendrix, the business entity that oversees Hendrix's musical legacy, brought the action to halt the unauthorized use of the late guitarist's recordings.
2006: The first Bob Dylan radio program was aired on XM Satellite Radio. Tracks played on his show included Blur, Prince, Billy Bragg, Wilco, Mary Gauthier, L.L. Cool J and The Streets.
2006: David Bowie says he's "fed up" with the music industry and plans spending some time away from the spotlight. "I'm taking a year off-no touring, no albums," Bowie tells Vanity Fair magazine.
2006: Neil Young releases 'Living With War.' He says the (President) Bush bashing, anti-war (Iraq) album is "Metal Folk protest."
2008: Deep Purple's Ian Gillan, Cream's Jack Bruce and the Guess Who's Randy Bachman perform the first of two Toronto benefit concerts celebrating the life of guitar virtuoso Jeff Healey. The shows raise money the Daisy's Eye Cancer Fund, which supports children stricken with retinoblastoma. Healey, who lost his sight as an infant due to the disease, passed away March 2 at age 41.
2008: Having already performed at a Barrack Obama rally, John Mellencamp does the same at a Hillary Clinton campaign stop. "I'm not endorsing any (presidential) candidate," says Mellencamp. "I'm just supporting the Democrats in hopes that we can turn this country around."
2009: Jon Bon Jovi is one of fourteen inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. "This group of Hall of Famers embodies the spirit of New Jersey, a combination of drive, determination and creativity that has led them to greatness," says NJ Governor John Corzine. "I'll stack up Jersey to just about anywhere there is," adds Bon Jovi who is recognized for both his musical contributions and his charitable work.
2009: Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder, Tom Morello, John Mellencamp, Warren Haynes and more take part in 'The Clearwater Concert: Creating the Next Generation of Environmental Leaders' at New York's Madison Square Garden. It's a celebration of Folk legend Pete Seeger's 90th birthday and raises funds for Seeger's Hudson River Sloop Clearwater organization, which focuses on keeping the Hudson River clean.
2009: Pearl Jam's songs are featured on the two-episode season finale of the CBS police drama 'Cold Case'. The shows, titled 'The Long Blue Line' and 'Into the Blue' (airing a week later) include tunes from the band's debut album, 1991's 'Ten.'
2009: No Doubt's reunion tour starts in Atlantic City. It's the group's first trek since '04.
2010: Elton John is banned from performing in Egypt. The ban follows comments made in a Parade magazine interview where Elton claimed Jesus was a "super-intelligent gay man." He also criticized the policies of Middle Eastern countries toward homosexuals.
2011: Stevie Nicks' 7th solo album and first in a decade, 'In Your Dreams' is released.
2011: The Beastie Boys release their long anticipated 'Hot Sauce Committee Part 2.' The multiple delays were due to Adam Yauch's ongoing battle with cancer.
2011: Sixx A.M. released the album 'This Is Gonna Hurt.' It debuted at #10 on the Billboard 200 chart.
2011: Steven Tyler releases his autobiography 'Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?' The publisher, Ecco, an imprint of Harper Collins, says the 400 page book has "all the unexpurgated, brain-jangling tales of debauchery, sex and drugs and transcendence you will ever want to hear."
2011: An exhibition of Mick Jagger portraits opens at the National Portrait Gallery in London. 'Mick Jagger: Young in the 60's' exhibit features twelve portraits of the Rolling Stones frontman taken by Gered Mankowitz, the band's first official photographer, and others. This is the gallery's first photo exhibition solely on Jagger.
2012: Paul McCartney and his wife Nancy Shavell narrowly avoided a potential deadly helicopter crash when their pilot became disoriented during a flight in bad weather and missed some trees by just two feet. Flying home to their estate in East Sussex, England after a day in London, the McCartney's were not aware of how close they came to crashing at the time. The UK's Department of Transport launched an investigation into the incident the following November.
2013: The Adam Yauch Playground is dedicated. Formerly known as Palmetto Playground, the recreational area is near Yauch's childhood home in Brooklyn Heights. Fellow Beastie Adam 'Ad-Rock' Horovitz attends. Yauch, aka MCA, died of cancer in '12 at age 47.
2013: It's the first Metallica Night at AT&T Park as the San Francisco Giants play the visiting L.A. Dodgers. Metallica performs the National Anthem and throws out the ceremonial first pitch. Ticket holders receive a limited edition Metallica/Giants hat with a portion of the sales donated to charity.
2013: The Rolling Stones '50 & Counting' tour kicks off at the Staples Center in L.A.
2014: Drummer Bobby Gregg, who played on Bob Dylan's 'Like a Rolling Stone' and Simon and Garfunkel's hit rock version of 'The Sound of Silence,' dies at age 78 in Las Vegas from reasons unknown. Gregg would go on to play drums with Paul Simon, Peter, Paul & Mary, and John Cale. He also worked as a producer and A&R man for CBS and Epic Records.
2015: Mark Hoppus joins All Time Low on stage in L.A. for a rendition of 'Tidal Waves,' an ATL ballad featuring the Blink-182 singer.
2016: 7,000 AC/DC fans who bought tickets to see the band perform at Werchter Festivalpark in Werchter, Belgium request their money back because they don't want to watch Axl Rose (Guns N' Roses) on lead vocals. He replaced the ailing Brian Johnson for the final stretch AC/DC's tour.
2016: Scott Stapp announces that he's the singer for Art Of Anarchy, replacing the late Scott Weiland. The group features former Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron "Bumble Foot" Thal and John Moyer of Disturbed.
2017: It’s Papa Roach Day in the group’s hometown of Vacaville, CA. The honor recognizes the group’s success, local ties and community outreach.
2017: One day before Megadeth’s concert in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) Youth voices its opposition to the concert because approval for the show was given without taking into consideration the negative effects on the audience.
2018: The June edition of GQ magazine is out with a cover story on the Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl. Claiming “the American Dream is broken," Grohl lays into President Donald Trump. "He just seems like a massive jerk."

May 4
1886: Chichester Bell and Charles Tainter received a US patent for the graphophone. Their invention was meant to replace Thomas Edison's phonograph and featured wax-coated cylinders which were considered an improvement over the phonograph's tinfoil cylinders which had been delicate and difficult to remove.
1956: Gene Vincent records 'Be Bop A Lula' for Capitol Records at Owen Bradley's studio in Nashville, Tennessee. It would climb to #7 in the US and #16 in the UK the following Summer, eventually selling over 2 million copies. Vincent has said that he wrote the words to the song after being inspired by a comic strip called 'Little Lulu.'
1956: England's New Musical Express erroneously reports that "Elvin" Presley will be performing an upcoming gig at the Palladium in London. Elvis never plays Europe.
1957: ABC-TV broadcasts the debut of 'Rock n' Roll Revue.' The half-hour program, hosted by Rock promoter Alan Freed includes Guy Mitchell, The Del-Vikings, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, The Clovers, June Valli, Martha Carson and the Alan Freed Rock And Roll Orchestra.
1959: The first Grammy Awards were held simultaneously in both Beverly Hills and New York City. Record of the Year and Song of the Year awards both went to 'Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)' by Domenico Modugno, while Album of the Year went to The Music from Peter Gunn by Henry Mancini in Los Angeles.
1960: Bobby Rydell takes American Bandstand viewers on a tour of his Philadelphia home.
1963: The Beatles score their first UK #1 when 'From Me To You' reaches the top for the first of a seven week run. The song's title was inspired from a letters column called From You To Us that ran in the British music newspaper, The New Musical Express.
1963: The Beach Boys 'Surfin U.S.A.' LP hits the charts. It will enjoy a 78 week stay and top out at #2.
1964: The Moody Blues form in Birmingham, England. The group was the brainchild of vocalist Denny Laine, who recruited Mike Pinder, Ray Thomas, Graham Edge and Clint Warwick.
1967: The Jimi Hendrix Experience appeared on UK TV's Top Of The Pops,' performing 'Purple Haze.' During afternoon rehearsals for the show, Mick Jagger pops into the studio to see Hendrix.
1967: The Turtles receive their first of two Gold singles for their recent #1 Pop hit, 'Happy Together.' Atlantic Records head Jerry Wexler did not want to release the song. US disc jockey Murray the K heard the track and encouraged Atlantic to release it. Their second Gold single will come later in the year for 'She'd Rather Be With Me.'
1967: Pink Floyd performed at the Locarno Ballroom in Coventry, West Midlands, England.
1968: Steppenwolf makes its US television debut, performing 'Born to Be Wild' on ABC-TV's American Bandstand.
1968: The Yardbirds played at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.
1968: Mary Hopkin won her heat on the ITV talent show Opportunity Knocks. She later signed with The Beatles owned Apple Records, Paul McCartney produced her UK No.1 single “Those Were The Days,” which also made No. 2 in the US. Hopkin later married record producer Tony Visconti.
1968: The Who appear at Melody Fair in North Tonawanda, New York.
1969: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr all show up at the London wrap party for 'The Magic Christian.' The film, based on Terry Southern’s novel, stars Peter Sellers and Ringo.
1969: The Allman Brothers Band appeared at Central City Park in Macon, Georgia.
1970: Four students were shot and killed by the National Guard at Kent State University in Ohio during an anti-war demonstration. Neil Young reacted to the senseless slayings by writing and recording the song, 'Ohio.' with Crosby, Stills & Nash, the very next day. Days later, over 900 colleges are closed as four million students protest. The Kent State campus remains closed for six weeks. 100,000 march on Washington, D.C. which leads to such civil unrest that President Nixon is taken to Camp David for two days.
1972: The Grateful Dead perform at the Olympia Theater in Paris during their fabled Europe ’72 tour.
1972: Pink Floyd played at the Music Hall in Boston on the last night of a North American tour. The show was moved from the Orpheum Theater, a smaller venue due to the high ticket demand.
1973: Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention appeared at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.
1973: Led Zeppelin opened their 1973 US tour, which is billed as the 'biggest and most profitable Rock and Roll tour in the history of the United States.' The group would gross over $4 million from the dates, flying between gigs in 'The Starship' a Boeing 720 passenger jet, complete with bar, shower room, TV and video in a 30' lounge and a white fur bedroom.
1974: Grand Funk Railroad started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart with their version of the Little Eva hit 'The Loco-Motion.' It was only the second time that a cover version had been a #1, as well as the original. (The first was 'Go Away Little Girl,' a hit for Steve Lawrence in 1963 and Donny Osmond in 1971).
1975: Elvis Presley kicked off a 31 date North American Tour by playing two shows at the Civic Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
1976: KISS perform their first concert in their hometown of New York City.
1976: David Bowie performed the first of four nights at the Empire Pool, Wembley, in London. Earlier in the day, he gave a rare interview to Jean Rook of the Daily Express.
1976: The Rolling Stones played at the AWD Dome in Bremen, Germany.
1977: The Beatles release 'The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl.' It features songs by The Beatles compiled from two live performances at the Hollywood Bowl during August 1964 and August 1965. Even though the recordings on The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl were between twelve and thirteen years old at the time of release, the album reached #1 on the New Musical Express chart in the U.K. and #2 on the Billboard chart in the United States. The album has yet to be released on compact disc in either country.
1977: The Patti Smith Group, David Johansen, Dead Boys, Blondie, Suicide and Richard Hell & The Voidoids all appeared at a Punk Benefit at CBGB's in New York City.
1978: Jefferson Starship receive a Platinum record the album 'Earth.' It will be their last LP with Grace Slick and Marty Balin. Just a few weeks later, both quit and the band had to be revamped.
1979: Electric Light Orchestra receive recognition for their Outstanding Contribution To British Music at the Ivor Novello Awards in London. It's for their double album, 'Out Of The Blue.'
1979: Rush appeared at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.
1980: ZZ Top performed at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey.
1980: An acoustic performance by the East Los Angeles band Los Lobos brought a hostel response from an Olympic Auditorium audience who came to hear Punk music. Opening for Public Image Ltd, the group was bombarded with bottles and other debris. It would take seven more years for the band to crack the Hot 100 with a couple of Richie Valens songs, 'La Bamba' (#1) and 'Come On, Let's Go' (#21).
1982: .38 Special's 5th studio album, 'Special Forces' is released.
1982: Duran Duran's first major hit, 'Hungry Like The Wolf,' is released in the U.K. It reaches #5 on the UK charts. ‬
1984: Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders marries Jim Kerr of Simple Minds. They divorce in 1990.
1984: King Crimson played at Kenmin Hall in Kanagawa, Japan.
1985: Don Henley peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with 'All She Wants to Do Is Dance,' which was Henley’s third top 10 single as a solo artist in the U.S.
1987: Paul Butterfield, blues harmonica player and vocalist, and founder of The Butterfield Blues Band, dies in North Hollywood, CA from a heroin overdose. He was just 44. Butterfield was from Chicago and was mentored by the likes of Muddy Waters and Elvin Bishop. His band played at both The Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock. In 2015, he was inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Butterfield developed his drug addiction after suffering from several surgeries to relieve his peritonitis, a serious and painful inflammation of the intestines.
1989: Stevie Ray Vaughan set out on what would be his last ever tour at the Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver, British Columbia. The guitarist was killed in a helicopter crash on 27th Aug 1999 after a concert at Alpine Valley Music Theater in Wisconsin, after playing 107 of the 110 dates.
1990: David Bowie's ex-wife Angela goes on The Joan Rivers Show and says that she once walked in on Bowie and Mick Jagger naked in bed. Angela signed a gag order when she divorced Bowie that kept her from talking for 10 years, and was taking advantage of the opportunity.
1990: Slaughter‬ performed onstage for the very first time in ‎Lubbock‬, ‎Texas‬.
1991: Governor Ann Richards declares "ZZ Top Day" in Texas, honoring the group for "bringing the powerful beat of Texas boogie to enthusiastic audiences across the globe."
1992: KISS release their 44th single,'Unholy,' from the 'Revenge' album.
1992: Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke gives KISS the keys to the city & declares it KISS Day. The band later takes the stage at the iconic Hammerjacks.
1994: The RIAA (the record industry) certifies that the Gin Blossoms album 'New Miserable Experience' has sold over four million copies. The album, released three years earlier, has 'Hey Jealousy' and 'Found Out About You.'
1995: John Fogerty was awarded $1.35 million by a San Francisco judge after winning a
copyright lawsuit brought on by Saul Zaentz & Fantasy Records.
1996: Rage Against The Machine's sophomore album 'Evil Empire,' is #1 in the U.S. selling 250,000 copies in the week of its release. The album won the 1996 Grammy award for Best Metal Performance.
1997: Courtney Love placed an advert in The Seattle Times selling the house she had shared with Kurt Cobain. The five bedroom four bathroom house was on the market for $3 million. The carriage house where Kurt Cobain died had been knocked down during refurbishment.
1999: Black Label Society release their debut studio album, 'Sonic Brew' in the U.S. It had already ben released in Japan on October 28, 1998.
2000: Metallica were demanding online music service Napster cut off 335,000 users who they claimed had been illegally trading their songs. The band had passed on the names of all those they considered to be "stealing" their material over the internet in the latest development in an ongoing battle over the protection of music copyrights on the web.
2004: Former Guns N' Roses members, Slash and Duff McKagan, file a lawsuit against GN'R frontman Axl Rose alleging he nixed movie music licensing deals that would have generated at least $1 million.
2004: Sevendust release an unplugged concert CD/DVD collection titled 'Southside Double-Wide Acoustic Live.'
2004: Death Angel release their 4th studio album, 'The Art of Dying.' It was the band's first album with original material in 14 years since 1990's 'Act III.'
2004: A Perfect Circle's DVD 'Lost In The Bermuda Triangle' is released.
2004: Sheryl Crow performs on board a United Airlines flight from Chicago to L.A. marking the launch of United`s partnership with Sony's Music. The deal allows music purchases to earn air miles while miles can be traded for music downloads.
2006: Jon Bon Jovi is honored for his charitable efforts during the Help USA organization's annual Tribute Awards Dinner in New York. Help USA provides services to the nation's homeless.
2007: Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger punches a man in the face outside a Vancouver, BC, nightclub. According to reports the 'victim' harassed Kroeger by shouting "Nickelback sucks."
2008: Bruce Springsteen is one the 15 inaugural members of the New Jersey Hall of Fame (along with Frank Sinatra and actress Meryl Streep) in the Arts & Entertainment category.
2010: Godsmack release their 5th studio album, 'The Oracle.'
2010: Extreme release their live album, 'Take Us Alive.'
2010: Poison frontman Bret Michaels is discharged from Barrow Neurological Institute in Arizona after suffering a brain hemorrhage two weeks earlier. He receives on-going physical therapy at another facility.
2012: Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys dies of cancer at 47. Yauch, also known as MCA or Nathanial Hörnblowér, was the co-founder of the hip hop/rock trio that scored 3 Grammys and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. The two remaining band members have backed Yauch’s wishes stated in his last will and testament: “Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, in no event may my image or name or any music or any artistic property created by me be used for advertising purposes.”
2014: Elton John tops the Sunday Times Giving List. As the U.K.'s most generous donor, John gave $36 million in 2013, with a large amount going to his AIDS foundation. U2's Bono also makes the list with $12 million in donations.
2015: REO Speedwagon and Imagine Dragons team up for "Mash Up Mondays," a collaborative performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! The two bands become Imagine REO Speedragons.
2016: Little Richard's attorney told Rolling Stone that on-line reports of his client's declining health were untrue and that the 83-year-old Rock 'n' Roll pioneer was still healthy and active.
2016: After Donald Trump's campaign plays 'Start Me Up' following his victory speech celebrating his path to the Republican nomination, The Rolling Stones ask him to stop, joining several other artists in decrying his use of their songs.
2017: A federal judge has dismisses a lawsuit that claims Ozzy Osbourne swindled former band member Bob Daisley out of at least $2 million in songwriting royalties for songs composed in the ‘80s. The ruling stipulates that the dispute must be decided through arbitration.

May 5
1900: The Billboard, a magazine for the music and entertainment industries, began weekly publication after six years as a monthly. By midyear it was calling itself "The Official Organ of the Great Out-Door Amusement World."
1956: Elvis Presley's 'Heartbreak Hotel" tops the U.S. charts for the first of seven weeks. The King's major label debut is also #1 on the Country & Western charts, and it makes it to #5 on the R&B survey. It became his first million-seller, and was the best-selling single of 1956. The lyrics were based on a newspaper article about the suicide of a lonely man who jumped from a hotel window.
1960: Roy Orbison 'Only The Lonely (Know The Way I Feel)' b/w 'Here Comes That Song Again' 45 single is released. I became his first major hit. As an operatic rock ballad, it was a sound unheard of at the time, described by the New York Times as expressing "a clenched, driven urgency". It is seen as a seminal event in the evolution of Rock and Roll. Released as a 45rpm single by Monument Records in May, 1960, it went to #2 on the United States Billboard pop music charts in late-July 1960 and to #14 on the Billboard R&B charts. It reached #1 in the United Kingdom, a position it achieved on October 20, 1960, staying there for two weeks (out of a total of 24 weeks spent on the UK singles chart from 28 July 1960). In 1999, 'Only the Lonely' was honored with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it #232 on their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
1961: Roy Orbison's 'Running Scared' hits the top of the charts.
1962: Chris Montez records 'Let's Dance,' which will reach #4 on the Billboard chart and #2 in the UK next Fall.
1963: On a recommendation by George Harrison, Dick Rowe Head of A&R at Decca records, (and the man who turned down The Beatles), went to see The Rolling Stones play at Crawdaddy Club, London. The band were signed to the label within a week.
1966: Manfred Mann went at #1 on the UK singles chart with 'Pretty Flamingo.' The recording features future Cream bassist Jack Bruce, who briefly joined the band in 1965. On their Top Of The Pops appearance, singer Paul Jones performed while standing on one leg.
1966: The Who performed at Town Hall in Kidderminster, West Midlands, England.
1967: Scott McKenzie's 'San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)' first appears on the US singles chart and soon becomes an anthem of the Flower Power movement and hippies everywhere.
1967: The Kinks released 'Waterloo Sunset' as a single which went on to peak at #2 on the UK chart. Songwriter and Kinks singer Ray Davies later stated that the song was originally entitled 'Liverpool Sunset', after his love for Liverpool and Merseybeat.
1968: Pink Floyd performed two shows at Theatre 140, in Brussels, Belgium.
1968: After months of internal dissension, Buffalo Springfield play their final concert at The Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, California. Richie Fury would go on to form Poco and Stephen Stills teamed up with David Crosby and Graham Nash in Crosby, Stills and Nash.
1969: Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising" is released. It will reach #2 in the US and top the chart in the UK.
1969: The Beatles single 'Get Back' was released in the US. John Lennon claimed in 1980 that "there's some underlying thing about Yoko in there"," claiming that Paul McCartney looked at Yoko Ono in the studio every time he sang "Get back to where you once belonged."
1971: The Rascals 8th studio album (a double-LP), 'Peaceful World' is released. It peaked at #122 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart. The single 'Love Me' reached #95 on the Billboard Hot 100.
1972: Paul Simon, Chicago and Carole King all perform at a benefit concert for U.S. presidential candidate George McGovern.
1972: Blind blues guitarist Reverend Gary Davis died of a heart attack at age 76. His unique finger-picking style influenced many other artists.
1972: Jethro Tull and Wild Turkey appeared at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri.
1972: The first day of the three day Bickershaw Festival took place in Wigan, England, with The Grateful Dead, Dr John, Donovan, The Kinks, Captain Beefheart, Hawkwind, America, Family, Country Joe MacDonald, Wishbone Ash, New Riders Of The Purple Sage, Brinsley Schwarz and the Flamin Groovies.
1973: At Tampa Stadium in Florida, Led Zeppelin played to 56,800 fans. The band grossed $309,000. At the time, the show set a record for the largest paying crowd at an American rock concert. The band played for two and a half hours without an intermission. Tickets were $5.00.
1973: Paul Simon's 'There Goes Rhymin' Simon' album is released. It reached #2 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart, and #4 on the UK Albums chart. It received two nominations at the Grammy Awards of 1974, including Best Male Pop Vocal performance and Album of the Year. It was ranked #267 on the list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
1973: King Crimson played at The Forum in Montreal, Quebec.
1973: Elvis Presley went to #1 on the US album chart with 'Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite.'
1973: David Bowie reached #1 on the U.K. Album Chart for the first time with 'Aladdin Sane' which spent five weeks on top of the chart. It reached #17 in the U.S. The follow-up to his breakthrough 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars,' the name of the album is a pun on "A Lad Insane."
1973: Sweet peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with 'Little Willy' which was their first top 10 single in the U.S.
1974: Television perform at CBGB's in New York. The support act was the Stillettoes, playing their first show at CBGB's. They would later become Blondie.
1975: Rod Stewart starts dating actress Brit Ekland after meeting at an L.A. party.
1975: Yes performed at Colston Hall in Bristol, England.
1977: The Grateful dead played at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum in New Haven, Connecticut.
1978: Aerosmith performed at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.
1978: AC/DC's 'Powerage' album is released. It's their 4th studio LP (the 5th to be released in Australia). It was the first AC/DC album to feature Cliff Williams on bass.
1978: Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band's album, 'Stranger in Town' is released. It's his 10th studio album and 2nd with The Silver Bullet Band. It goes on to peak at #4 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart and sell six million copies in the U.S. Like it predecessor, the Silver Bullet Band backed Seger on about half of the songs and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section backed Seger on the other half.
1979: 28 year old Suzi Quatro reached #5 on the Hot 100 with a duet with Chris Norman called 'Stumblin' In.' It would be the only time she cracked the US Top 40.
1979: On the last date of a US tour, The Boomtown Rats appeared at The Palladium in New York City.
1979: Van Halen played at Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1980: The Who appeared at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.
1980: Saxon release their 2nd studio album 'Wheels of Steel.'
1980: Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio play the 1st of four sold out shows at London's Hammersmith Odeon with Girlschool as openers.
1981: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 4th album, 'Hard Promises' is released. It reached #5 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart. Its original working title was 'Benmont's Revenge.' This was the second Tom Petty album on the Backstreet Records label. The album's release was delayed while Petty and his distributor MCA Records argued about the list price. The album was slated to be the next MCA release with the new list price of $9.98, following Steely Dan﻿'s Gaucho and the Olivia Newton-John/Electric Light Orchestra Xanadu soundtrack. This so-called "superstar pricing" was $1.00 more than the usual list price of $8.98. Petty voiced his objections to the price hike in the press and the issue became a popular cause among music fans. Non-delivery of the album or naming it Eight Ninety-Eight were considered, but eventually MCA decided against the price increase. During the recording of the album John Lennon﻿ was scheduled to be in the same studio at the same time. Tom Petty was looking forward to meeting him when he came in. The meeting never occurred; unfortunately, John Lennon was murdered before he could ever make it into the studio. In order to pay tribute to one of their influences the band decided to etch "WE LOVE YOU JL" on the master copy of the album. To this day "WE LOVE YOU JL" is seen on every Hard Promises vinyl copy pressed. The album's title comes from a line in the chorus of 'Insider.'
1983: The one thousandth edition of Britain's music show, 'Top of the Pop's is broadcast on BBC-TV. The weekly version of the show ran from January 1st, 1964 to July 30th, 2006.
1983: Clarence Quick, the bass voice of the Del Vikings on their 1956 hit, 'Come, Go With Me,' died of a heart attack. He was just 46 years old.
1984: Simple Minds singer Jim Kerr married Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde in a horse drawn carriage in Central Park, New York City.
1984: Duran Duran were at #1 on the UK singles chart with 'The Reflex,' the group’s second and last chart topper. It stays there 4 weeks and 14 in total in the top 100. The song was taken from their 3rd album 'Seven and the Ragged Tiger,' which was also a US #1.
1986: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame chairman Ahmet Ertegen announces that Cleveland, Ohio has been chosen as the city where the Hall will be built.
1988: Testament release their 2nd studio album 'The New Order.' The band did a cover of the Aerosmith song 'Nobody's Fault' for this album. It reached #136 on the #Billboard chart.
1990: The John Lennon tribute concert was held at the Pier Head Arena in Merseyside, featuring Ringo Starr, Lenny Kravitz, Al Green, Joe Cocker, The Christians, Kylie Minogue, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Deacon Blue, Lou Reed, Joe Walsh and Wet Wet Wet.
1990: During a North American tour Nirvana appeared at the Einstein-A-Go-Go in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
1990: Jason Bonham gets married. He joins Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones for a five song set at his wedding reception near Kidderminster, England.
1990: Aerosmith reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart for the 6th time as'“What It Takes' peaked at #9. It spends 17 weeks on the chart.‬
1992: Wildside released their album, 'Under The Influence.'
1992: The Beach Boys appear on ABC-TV's 'Full House.'
1995: Steven Adler is arrested for felony drug possesion when he is found with Heroin.
1996: Rage Against The Machine went to #1 on the US album chart with 'Evil Empire.' The album's title is taken from the phrase "evil empire", which was used by former US President Ronald Reagan and many conservatives in describing the former Soviet Union. The album won the 1996 Grammy award for Best Metal Performance.
1997: Governor George W. Bush declares May 5th as ZZ Top Day in the state of Texas.
1997: Bruce Springsteen was awarded Sweden’s Polar Music Prize, which is considered the musical equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
1997: U2's 'Pop' album goes platinum in the U.S. Even so, it's sales are among the lowest in U2's catalog.
1997: Oasis' management company sends an e-mail to over 100 unauthorized websites threatening legal action if they continue to use Oasis music.
1998: Bad Religion release their 10th full-length studio album 'No Substance.'
1998: In Michigan, a bill is introduced to the state legislature to regulate concert attendance by minors under the age of 18, giving the state the authority to deem whether specific concerts are harmful to minors. The bill is opposed by the likes of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and does not pass.
2000: Rod Stewart undergoes a one-hour throat operation at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles to remove a growth on his thyroid. The growth turns out to be benign.
2002: Legendary songwriter and early Rock n' Roll linchpin Otis Blackwell dies. Blackwell's creations include Elvis Presley hits 'Don't Be Cruel' and 'All Shook Up' and Jerry Lee Lewis' 'Great Balls Of Fire.'
2002: Two disc jockeys from Denver's KRFX-FM, Rick Lewis and Michael Floorwax, stopped a live radio interview with Detroit rocker Ted Nugent after he used derogatory racial terms for Asians and Blacks. The station received calls after the show from angry listeners, mostly from people saying they were glad Nugent was taken off the air. During the live interview, he had been warned once for his language but continued with his racist diatribe. The two DJs said Nugent came on the show about three times a year, but won't be back any time soon. The comments cost Nugent a gig at the Muskegon Summer Celebration.
2004: Jamaican record producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, who signed Bob Marley & the Wailers to his Studio One label, dies of a heart attack at age 72.
2005: Founding drummer Steve Gorman joins the Black Crowes on their reunion tour. His first gig back with the band is in Atlanta.
2005: Joe Perry releases his first true solo album. The self-titled release reaches #110 on Billboard.‬
2006: Bruce Springsteen and Van Morrison are featured in separate programs on CMT. First, there's the documentary 'Bruce Springsteen: The Seeger Sessions.' It's followed by 'Van Morrison: One Night in Nashville,' containing live footage.
2006: The Red Hot Chili Peppers release their 9th studio album 'Stadium Arcadium.'
2006: Live release their 7th studio album, 'Songs From Black Mountain.; It's the group's first on Epic Records. On the same day, they start their U.S. tour in Jackson, MS.
2006: Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil hosts the 10th annual Skylar Neil Memorial Golf Tournament in Simi Valley, CA. Neil created the charity event in memory of his daughter, who died in 1995 of stomach cancer at age four. Proceeds go to combat childhood illnesses.
2008: To thank fans for years of support, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails posts their album 'The Slip' for free on their Web site. "Thank you for your continued and loyal support," writes frontman Trent Reznor in an online post. "This one's on me." 'The Slip' on CD is released the following July.
2009: Ex-Ace/Squeeze/Mike & the Mechanics singer-keyboardist Paul Carrack releases his album, 'I Know That Name.' The Eagles' Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmit are heard on the song 'I Don't Want To Hear Any More.'
2009: Slash mentors the finalists during Rock Week on 'American Idol.'
2009: Elton John presents 'The Red Piano Live In Las Vegas,' a DVD and a Blu-ray disc, with performances from John's Vegas show, 'The Red Piano.'
2012: Rush receive the 2012 Governor General's Performing Arts Award, a recognition of lifetime artistic achievement. The award, presented in Ottawa, includes $25,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and a commemorative medallion struck by the Royal Canadian Mint.
2012: Adopt The Arts, co-founded by drummer Matt Sorum (Velvet Revolver, ex-Guns N' Roses), air a public service announcement in hopes of saving arts programs in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Adopt The Arts was created following the district's decision to eliminate all funding for elementary school arts programs.
2012: Former KoRn guitarist Brian 'Head' Welch performs with the group for the first time in seven years at the Carolina Rebellion Festival. "I want to bring out one of my dearest, oldest and most beloved friends to have some fun with us," says vocalist Jonathan Davis. Welch left KoRn in 2005 to focus on his sobriety and his faith.
2012: Hornitos Premium Tequila and Twisted Sister release the Cinco de Mayo Mariachi Mashup 'We’re Not Gonna Take It.'‬
2013: Robert Plant obtained a temporary restraining order against an overzealous female fan he alleged was a threat to his safety. Plant said that the woman had been harassing him for over three years and believed that they are in a relationship, even though Plant insists the pair has never met.
2014: Helix release their 13th studio album, 'Bastard Of The Blues.'
2015: Deep Purple top a Rolling Stone magazine readers' poll of acts that should be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2016. Electric Light Orchestra land at #2 with Yes at #3.
2015: Craig Gruber, original bassist in Rainbow, dies of prostate cancer in Florida at the age of 63. Gruber played on the first three Elf albums with Ronnie James Dio, and also worked with Gary Moore.
2015: Slash's guitar solo on Guns N' Roses' 'Sweet Child O' Mine' is #1 on the NME editors' list of the 50 Greatest Guitar Solos. Jimmy Page's work on Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway To Heaven' and the Jimi Hendrix solo 'All Along The Watchtower' are second and third, respectively.
2015: Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry win a Sports Emmy Award for their video remake of 'Dream On' with the Southern California Children's Chorus to honor the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. The ceremony takes place in Frederick P. Rose Hall at New York's Lincoln Center.
2015: A group of UK musicians, including Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood and Soul singer Beverly Knight, released a charity single called 'Save the Children (Look Into Your Heart),' to benefit children in Nepal following the devastating earthquake there.
2015: Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann's memoir 'Deal: My Three Decades of Drumming, Dreams and Drugs With The Grateful Dead' is released.
2016: Red Hot Chili Peppers debut 'Dark Necessities.' The song is the first official single released by the band in almost 4 years.
2016: The Rolling Stones demand that presidential candidate Donald Trump stop playing their music ('Start Me Up,' 'You Can't Always Get What You Want,' 'Sympathy For The Devil' and 'Brown Sugar') at his rallies. A Stones spokeswoman says Trump did not ask for permission to use the songs.
2016: Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo, both avid surfers, take part in a cleanup at San Francisco's popular Ocean Beach as part of an event sponsored by the San Francisco Giants. The fourth annual Metallica Night at AT&T Park is the following evening.
2017: Slipknot surpass one billion views on their YouTube channel.

May 6
1937: The Hindenburg blimp crashed in Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 36 people. A photograph of the disaster was later used as the cover of Led Zeppelin’s first album.
1957: Chuck Berry records 'Rock And Roll Music.'
1965: In their Fort Harrison Hotel (known at the time as the Jack Tar Harrison Hotel) in Clearwater, Florida, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards work out the opening guitar riff of 'Satisfaction,' following Richard's purchase of a Gibson fuzz-box earlier that day. Keith Richards said he fell asleep and woke up in the middle of the night with a guitar riff in his head. Half-asleep, he recorded the riff to his tape recorder; it would become the basis for 'Satisfaction.'
1965: British singer Marianne Faithfull marries artist John Dunbar in Cambridge with Peter And Gordon's Peter Asher serving as the best man. After giving birth to a son on November 10th, Marianne would leave her husband to live with Mick Jagger.
1966: The Rolling Stones: 'Paint It, Black' b/w 'Stupid Girl' 45 single is released. It was the first single from the US version of their 4th album 'Aftermath.' The single reached #1 in both the United States and the United Kingdom charts in 1966. In 2004 it was ranked #174 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
1966: Working at Abbey Road studios in London, The Beatles recorded overdubs on 'I'm Only Sleeping' and worked on various mixes of the track. The song features the then-unique sound of a reversed guitar duet played by Harrison who perfected the part with the tape running backwards so that, when reversed, it would fit the dreamlike mood.
1966: Paul Revere & The Raiders 5th studio album, 'Midnight Ride,' is released. It reached #9 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart and features the hit, 'Kicks,' which reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also includes '(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone,' a song The Monkees covered and became a U.S. top 20 hit in 1967.
1966: The Who appeared at the Top Hat Ballroom in Lisburn, Northern Ireland.
1966: During a four month world tour, Bob Dylan played the first night of 11 UK dates at the ABC in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
1967: Jimi Hendrix, The Walker Brothers, Engelbert Humperdink and Cat Stevens all appeared at the Imperial Ballroom in Nelson, Lancashire, England.
1967: The Who's Keith Moon offers this insightful advice to young drummers during an interview in Melody Maker Magazine: "To get your playing more forceful, hit the drums harder."
1967: Otis Redding played at the Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia.
1967: Pearls Before Swine begin recording an album called 'One Nation Underground.' The LP includes a song called 'Miss Morse,' which would be banned in New York when it was discovered that lead singer Tom Rapp was singing F-U-C-K in Morse code. After disc jockey Murray The K played the record on the air, local Boy Scouts correctly interpreted the chorus and phoned in a complaint.
1967: Pink Floyd performed at Kitson Hall in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
1968: Pink Floyd, The Move, The Nice, and The Association played at the First European International Pop Festival, Palazzo Dello Sport, Rome, Italy.
1969: King Crimson appeared at Maida Vale Studio in London.
1970: The Grateful Dead played at Kresge Plaza on the MIT campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
1970: Poco's self-titled 2nd album is released. It reached #72 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart.
1971: Ike & Tina Turner earn their only gold record for their cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's 'Proud Mary.' It peaks at #4 in the US.
1972: Elton John's 'Rocket Man' is released. It will reach #6 in the US and #2 in the UK. In 2004, it was ranked #242 on the list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
1972: The Tyrannosaurus Rex double album 'Prophets, Seers And Sages And The Angels Of The Ages / My People Were Fair And Had Sky In Their Hair But Now Their Content To Wear Stars On Their Brows' went to #1 in the UK. It's the longest title of an album ever at the time.
1973: Paul Simon's first solo tour began with a performance at the Music Hall in Boston. Recordings from the tour were later released on the 1974 album, 'Live Rhymin.'
1975: Rush played at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
1976: The Rolling Stones appeared at Forest National in Brussels, Belgium.
1977: Led Zeppelin broke their own concert attendance record at a show in Michigan, when more than 76,000 fans saw their performance.
1977: Having just been signed to their first major recording contract, Dublin's Boomtown Rats, led by vocalist Bob Geldof, perform for a group of record company employees at Studio 51 in London.
1977: The Boomtown Rats played their first gig in England when they appeared at Studio 51 in London.
1977: REO Speedwagon performed at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
1978: The Knack is formed.
1978: Van Halen release their 2nd single, 'Runnin' with the Devil.' It peaks at #84 on Billboard's Hot 100.
1978: Kansas peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with their 5th album 'Point of Know Return,' which spent 51 weeks on the chart & went on to sell four million copies in the U.S. alone.
1979: Yes played at Spokane Arena in Spokane, Washington.
1980: Van Halen appeared at the Rochester Community War Memorial in Rochester, New York.
1981: Dire Straits performed at Rhein-Main-Hall in Wiesbaden, Germany.
1984: Fictional group Spinal Tap played a gig at New York's CBGB's, labeling it their "comeback."
1984: Tina Turner's 'What's Love Got to Do With It' is released. The song would eventually climb to number one, win Grammys for record and song of the year and established Turner as a major solo star. When Tina left her husband and former band mate Ike Turner in 1975, she was carrying nothing more than thirty-six cents in change and a gas station credit card.
1989: Living Colour peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with their debut album 'Vivid,' which was co-produced by Mick Jagger & went on to sell two million copies in the U.S. They also peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with 'Cult of Personality' which was their first top 40 single.
1993: Jerry Lee Lewis’ house in Mississippi is raided by the IRS, who seize personal property and later auction it off to help pay the $1.6 million Lewis owes in back taxes.
1993: David Crosby made his first appearance on 'The Simpsons' in a cameo role as a 12-step sponsor.
1994: Weezer release their self-titled debut (aka 'Blue Album'). The album has 'Undone-The Sweater Song' and 'Buddy Holly.'
1994: Pearl Jam filed a memorandum with the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice claiming that Ticketmaster has a monopoly, which led them to cancel their scheduled tour that summer.
1995: Melissa Etheridge sets a record with back-to-back singles, 'Come to My Window' and 'I'm The Only One' on Billboard’s Hot 100 for at least 40 weeks.
1995: Oasis scored their first UK #1 single when 'Some Might Say' went to the top of the UK charts. It was the first single to be released from the Manchester bands second album '(What's the Story) Morning Glory?' And the last Oasis track to feature original drummer Tony McCarroll.
1996: Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville sang at a White House event celebrating the musical diversity of the US. President Bill Clinton and his wife Hilary were the hosts for 'In Performance at the White House,' which was later broadcast on public television.
1997: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was held in Cleveland, Ohio for the first time. Among those inducted were Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Jackson Five, The Bee Gees, Buffalo Springfield, Joni Mitchell, The Young Rascals and Parliament Funkadelic.
1997: Joni Mitchell failed to show up for her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. She apparently wanted to avoid the media hoopla over her reunion with the daughter she gave up for adoption 32 years earlier.
1997: The Band's Rick Danko is arrested in Tokyo for heroin possession. He claims it's all a misunderstanding. He says his wife shipped the package containing the drug after he asked her to send him 'medication'.
2001: Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich and his wife Skylar welcome a baby boy into their family.
2002: Otis Blackwell, a prolific songwriter and producer, dies from a heart attack. He was 71. Blackwell’s famous songs include 'Don’t Be Cruel,' 'Great Balls of Fire,' 'Fever,' 'All Shook Up,' and 'Return to Sender.' It’s estimated that Blackwell’s songs have sold more than 185 million copies.
2002: The Guinness Hit Singles book listed 'Bohemian Rhapsody' by Queen as the UK's favorite single of all time, followed by 'Imagine' by John Lennon, 'Hey Jude' by The Beatles, 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA and 'Like A Prayer' by Madonna.
2002: Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo appeared as themselves on an episode of the short-lived sitcom 'That 80’s Show.'
2003: Metallica is featured on 'MTV's Icon.' Besides the band being honored others featured on the tribute include Snoop Dog, Sum 41, Limp Bizkit, Staind, Avril Lavigne and Korn.
2003: Anthrax​ release their 9th studio album 'We've Come for You All.' This was their final studio album with John Bush on vocals.
Dimebag Darrell made a guest appearance on this album.
2003: Lamb Of God released the album 'As The Palaces Burn.' The album peaked at #64 on the Billboard charts.
2004: David Bowie cancelled a concert in Miami after a local stagehand was killed in a fall before the show began.
2004: A sale at Christie's in London, England became the most successful pop auction in the company's history after Beatles memorabilia sold for a record £788,643. The auction included a leather collar worn by John Lennon which sold for £117,250. A signed copy of a management deal with The Beatles and manager Brian Epstein sold for £122,850. A Vox Kensington guitar used by Lennon and Harrison went for £100,000. Also sold - a coloured felt-pen drawing by Lennon (£10,000), a letter with his signature (£5,500), and a pen-and-ink drawing called Happy Fish (£9,500).
2004: KoRn frontman Jonathan Davis appears as a crack dealer in the romantic comedy 'Seeing Other People,' which stars Jay Mohr and Julianne Nicholson. The film makes its premiere in Beverly Hills, CA. Limited national release follows the next day.
2004: John Lennon memorabilia is auctioned by Christie's. Lennon art work, a Vox Kensington guitar and a leather collar are sold. The total value exceeds $400,000.
2004: Pearl Jam allows 'Yellow Ledbetter' to be played during a scene in the final episode of 'Friends.' It's the first time Pearl Jam licenses a song for a TV show.
2005: Audioslave became the first American rock group to perform a free outdoor concert in Cuba. An estimated 50,000 attend the free gig in Havana. Audioslave then travels around the island meeting musicians and young people.
2005: Starbucks banned the sale of Bruce Springsteen's latest album 'Devils and Dust' over concerns about its adult content. The retailer, which stocked CD's at its branches in the US said it would be promoting other albums instead.
2005: Doctors determine that Ozzy Osbourne is suffering from Parkin Syndrome, a genetic disorder that attacks the central nervous system causing involuntary shaking. It's a type of early-onset Parkinson disease. Ozzy is put on daily meds to treat the ailment. "I'd always assumed it was the booze and stuff," Osbourne says.
2006: Radio history was made as ‪Eddie Trunk‬ did first real interview with ‎Axl Rose‬ in nearly 15 years on his radio show in New York City.
Axl announced that Guns N’ Roses long-awaited & long delayed album 'Chinese Democracy' would be released that fall. It wasn’t released until November 2008.
2006: Green Day nabs the Favorite Rock Act trophy at the MTV Asia Awards. KoRn's 'Twisted Transistor' nwins the Favorite Video category.
2006: Sting is presented an honorary Doctor of Music degree by England's Newcastle University. The institution hands out special degrees annually to individuals who "have achieved successes that are an inspiration."
2006: A memorial stone in honor of the late AC/DC frontman Bon Scott is unveiled in his birthplace of Kirriemuir, Scotland. "The whole community has been quite behind this," says the chairman of the town's community council.
2007: Amy Lee of Evanescence marries Josh Hartzler, the inspiration for the song 'Bring Me To Life.'
2008: The Police join New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in Times Square to announce that their last concert ever will take place in the Big Apple during the coming summer. Also, the band vows to donate $1 million to support MillionTreesNYC, an initiative to plant trees throughout the city. The Police are also presented the key to the city.
2008: Neil Young participates in the keynote address at the JavaOne computer-programming conference in San Francisco. He joins executives from Sun Microsystems to announce plans to release his long-awaited archival box set via the Blu-ray format, fueled by Java technology. The interactive set offers music, movies, videos and photographs.
2009: Bob Dylan's 'Together Through Life' album debuts at #1 on the Billboard 200, moving about 125,000 copies during its first week of release. It's Dylan's second consecutive studio effort to top the chart, following 2006's 'Modern Times,' and the fifth #1 of his career.
2009: Slash puts some life into American Idol playing a rendition of Alice Cooper's 'School's Out' with the four finalists. He also serves as the week's music mentor. 2009: An autographed $60,000 Steinway baby grand piano donated by Billy Joel is auctioned online to benefit music students at the Mount Carmel-Holy Rosary School of Manhattan. The school's music program is supported by Ten O' Clock Classics, a nonprofit organization that provides free lessons and instruments to Catholic-school students. Joel is a Ten O' Clock board member.
2009: Donald "Ean" Evans, the bassist for Lynyrd Skynyrd, died of cancer at the age of 48. He joined the band in 2001 following the passing of Leon Wilkeson and remained with them until his death.
2009: An autographed $60,000 Steinway baby grand piano donated by Billy Joel is auctioned online to benefit music students at the Mount Carmel-Holy Rosary School of Manhattan. The school's music program is supported by Ten O' Clock Classics, a nonprofit organization that provides free lessons and instruments to Catholic-school students. Joel is a Ten O' Clock board member.
2009: The video for U2's 'No Line On The Horizon' single, 'Magnificent,' debuts on the band's website. Directed by Alex Courtez, the clip features the U2 performing in and walking through the streets of Fez, Morocco.
2010: U2 is #2 in a Harris poll of America's favorite musical artists. Pop-wailer Celine Dion tops the list. Elvis Presley and The Beatles are tied at #3. The poll of 2,320 adults was conducted the previous March by Harris Interactive.
2010: Bullet For My Valentine's 'Fever' is #1 Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart moving 71,000 copies in its first week. It's #3 on the Billboard 200.
2010: A segment of the FOX science fiction show 'Fringe' airs with a score composed by Pearl Jam's Mike McCready.
2010: Jason Newsted's first art exhibition opens at San Francisco's Micaela Gallery. "My purpose has shifted from making crazy and colorful music, to making crazy and colorful paintings," says the former Metallica bassist ('86-'01).
2010: Bruce Springsteen teams up with former Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky to give students at New Jersey's Fairleigh Dickinson University a glimpse into the creative process. They share their thoughts on writing before a crowd of 400. "You react to your own history; you can't help it," says Springsteen.
2011: Steven Tyler presents the Stevie Ray Vaughan award to Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan at the seventh annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert in L.A. Gahan, a former heroin addict, almost died a handful of times during the '90s. Vans Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman is also honored. Paramore and Jane's Addiction are among the performers. Proceeds benefit the MusiCares MAP Fund, which provides members of the music community access to addiction recovery treatment regardless of their financial situation.
2012: An episode of the TV show 'Mad Men' features The Beatles' 'Tomorrow Never Knows.' The show, which is set in the 1960's, pays $250,000 to use the song. "It was always my feeling that the show lacked a certain authenticity because we never could have an actual master recording of The Beatles performing," says show creator Matthew Weiner.
2012: Over 300 guests, including Chubby Checker, Berry Gordy, Paul Anka, Marie Osmond and Stevie Wonder, gathered on the grounds of Dick Clark's Malibu estate for a private memorial service. Clark's three children spoke first, followed by his widow Kari, who read a list of "65 reasons I love Dick Clark." The long-time host of TV's American Bandstand died April 18 of a heart attack.
2013: Bush's 'Machinehead' is named the Ultimate Workout Song Of 2013 in Gold Gym's March Music Madness Battle of the Bands tournament (which obviously extended into May). Gym members voted from a pool of 64 songs.
2013: Lenny Kravitz appears in a PSA in support of the United Nations Children's Fund. Their mission is to stop preventable child deaths. Kravitz states that UNICEF's immunization program, if appropriately supported, can help save the lives of 6.9 million children per year.
2014: Joe Satriani's 'Strange Beautiful Music: A Musical Memoir,' is in bookstores. "I'm excited for my fans to get a deeper look inside my creative process in the studio and the stories behind the songs," says Satriani. The forward is by legendary Queen lead guitarist Brain May.
2015: Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach appears on the History Channel's 'American Pickers.' He discusses the Chet Atkins model Gretsch guitar.
2015: The results of the evolution of western pop music, spanning from 1960 to 2010, was published in The Royal Society Open Science Journal. The scientists who looked at more than 17,000 son gs found three music revolutions - in 1964, 1983 and 1991. In 1964 the invasion of British bands introduced a radical new rocky sound. Synthesisers, samplers and drum machines, drove a second major style shift in 1983. The third, in 1991, came about when rap and hip-hop went mainstream. The team also refuted claims that pop music was starting to sound the same.
2016: Andy Biersack, frontman for Black Veil Brides releases his debut solo record "The Shadow Side" under his Andy Black moniker.
2016: The Iowa Supreme Court rules that the daughter of late Slipknot bassist Paul Gray can sue a doctor who prescribed drugs to Gray for the loss of her father's companionship, even though she was still a fetus when Gray died of a drug overdose in '10. The court acknowledges that this the first time it's had to decide a case centered on the rights of a child during the time it is a fetus.
2016: The San Francisco Giants' 4th annual Metallica Night at AT&T Park has the band's James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett performing their version of "The Star Spangled Banner." Drummer Lars Ulrich throws out the first pitch and later Hetfield sings "Happy Birthday" to Giants legend Willie Mays--his 85th.
2016: Stevie Wonder closed out a public memorial for Prince with a performance of 'Purple Rain' in front of several thousand fans in Los Angeles.

May 7
1955: Ray Charles gets first #1 on the R&B chart with 'I Got A Woman.' It was later ranked #235 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Elvis Presley covers the song and The Beatles make it a pre-fame show staple.
1966: Simon And Garfunkel's 'I Am a Rock' enters the Hot 100. During its eleven week chart run, it peaks at #3.
1966: The Mamas And Papas hit #1 in the US with 'Monday, Monday,' a song that the group (except for writer John Phillips) would later admit that they didn't really like. On March 2nd, 1967, the effort would bring them a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
1966: Del Shannon enters the Billboard Hot 100 for the 16th time with 'The Big Hurt,' which will stall at #94.
1967: Bob Dylan gives his first interview since his 1966 motorcycle accident to the New York Daily News.
1967: Soviet youths openly defied police and danced The Twist in Moscow's Red Square during May Day celebrations.
1967: Jimi Hendrix played two shows at London's Saville Theatre. Ringo Starr, Brian Jones and members of The Beach Boys and The Moody Blues were in the audience.
1967: Pink Floyd appeared at The Mojo Club in Tollbar, Sheffield, England, opened and owned by Peter Stringfellow.
1967: Pearls Before Swine begin recording an album called 'One Nation Underground'. The LP included a song called 'Miss Morse,' which would be banned in New York when it was discovered that lead singer Tom Rapp was singing F-U-C-K in Morse code. After disc jockey Murray The K played the record on the air, local Boy Scouts correctly interpreted the chorus and phoned in a complaint.
1968: On a plane ride returning home from his last gig with the band Bluesology, keyboard player Reginald Dwight looks for a stage name he can use for his burgeoning solo career. In the cabin, he comes across the band's horn player Elton Dean and lead singer Long John Baldry, and asks them if he can appropriate their names to concoct a new one for himself. They agree, and Elton John is born.
1970: Black Sabbath played at Osteseehalle in Kiel, Germany.
1970: Simon & Garfunkel's 5th (and last) LP 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' hit the #1 spot. The album went on to sell of 25 million copies.
1970: During a North American tour Pink Floyd appeared at Pauley Pavilion, on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, California.
1971: 'Moonage Daydream' was released as a single by Arnold Corns, a band formed by David Bowie. The name was inspired by the Pink Floyd song, 'Arnold Layne.' It was one of Bowie's side projects and a bit of a dry run for 'Ziggy Stardust.' The song later reappeared on 'Ziggy Stardust' in a new version with updated lyrics.
1971: The Allman Brothers Band appeared at the University of Tennessee -Chattanooga.
1972: The Grateful Dead performed at the Bickershaw Festival in Wigan, England as part of their historic tour of Europe. The entire tour was released as a 73-CD box set.
1972: Reginald Dwight changed his name by Deed poll to Elton Hercules John.
1972: The Rolling Stones released the second album on their own label, 'Exile on Main Street' featuring two hit singles, 'Tumbling Dice' and 'Happy'. In 2003, the album was ranked #7 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, the highest of any Stones album on the list.
1973: 'Money/Us and Them' was released as a 7-inch single in the US by Pink Floyd
1973: George Harrison releases 'Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth),' which will become his second #1 single in the US.
1974: Led Zeppelin held a party at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City for the launch of their new label Swan Song. Other label signings including, Scottish singer Maggie Bell (whose album 'Suicide Sal' was the labels fourth release), and Bad Company also attended.
1975: Yes played at Colston Hall in Bristol, England.
1976: Genesis performed at Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth, Texas.
1977: 'Back In The Saddle' by Aerosmith enters the Top 40, but just barely. The track peaks at #38.
1977: Ten weeks after entering the Billboard singles chart, The Eagles' masterpiece, 'Hotel California' became the band's 4th US #1 hit. The Eagles also won the 1977 Grammy Award for Record of the Year for 'Hotel California' at the 20th Annual Grammy Awards in 1978. The song's guitar solo is ranked 8th on Guitar Magazine's Top 100 Guitar Solos and was voted the best solo of all time by readers of Guitarist magazine.
1978: The Eagles beat the editorial team of Rolling Stone magazine in a softball game at the University of Southern California. The final score was 15-8.
1978: David Bowie played the first of three nights on his Low/Heroes world tour at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
1978: The 90,000 tickets on sale for Bob Dylan's upcoming concerts at London's Wembley Empire Pool sell out in less than eight hours.
1979: Van Halen appeared at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1980: Black Sabbath, with vocalist Ronnie James Dio, begin a four night stand at London's Hammersmith Odeon Theater in London to promote their 'Heaven & Hell' LP. Girlschool opens. ‬
1982: The first Men at Work album, 'Business as Usual,' already a #1 hit in their native Australia, is finally released in America. In November, it rises to the top in the US.
1983: After cracking the Top 20 a year earlier with 'The Break-up Song,' San Francisco's Greg Kihn Band reaches #2 on the Hot 100 with a song called 'Jeopardy.' A year later, Weird Al Yankovic will parody the song as 'I Lost On Jeopardy,' which has since been referenced several times on the game show itself.
1986: John Mellencamp joined protesting farmers on the steps of the Farmer’s Home Administration Office in Chillicothe, MO.
1988: Aerosmith's 'Angel' gets to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
1988: Talking Heads peaked at #19 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with their final studio album 'Naked' which went on to go Gold in the U.S.
1989: Jane’s Addiction ended their U.S. tour in support of their major label debut 'Nothing’s Shocking' with a two night stand at San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium.
1991: A judge in Macon, Georgia dismisses a wrongful death suit against Ozzy Osbourne after a local couple fails to prove their son was inspired to attempt suicide by Ozzy's music.
1991: Wilson Pickett was arrested in his hometown of Englewood, New Jersey after repeatedly driving over the lawn of his neighbor, Mayor Donald Aronson. Pickett was charged with drunk driving and threatening to kill the mayor. Police seized a knife and a baseball bat from Pickett's van. The threatening charge was dropped after Pickett agreed to perform a free charity concert. He was later sentenced to a year's probation on the drunken driving charge to run concurrently with a one-year jail term for a later drunk driving incident in which Pickett hit and seriously injured an 86-year-old pedestrian.
1991: 54-year-old Rolling Stone Bill Wyman ended his 22-month marriage to 21-year-old Mandy Smith. She received a $6.5 million divorce settlement, even though she spent only eight weeks with Wyman during their marriage. They first met when Smith was only 13.
1992: A leather Jacket worn by John Lennon during 1960-1963, was sold at Christies, London, England for £24,200.
1992: John Frusciante leaves the Red Hot Chili Peppers. As a result, he is airbrushed out of a Rolling Stone magazine cover shot of the band. The guitarist rejoins RHCP six years later but departs again in 2008.
1992: Nigel Preston drummer with The Cult died in London, England at age 32. Was a founding member of The Death Cult, he also played and recorded with Sex Gang Children, Theatre of Hate and The Gun Club.
1994: Rush set the record for most performances at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens with their 22nd concert at the venue. Rush were on tour in support of their 15th studio album 'Counterparts.'
1994: Randy Bachman led 1,322 guitarists who had gathered in Vancouver to play Bachman-Turner Overdrive's "Takin' Care of Business", for 68 minutes and 40 seconds. The record would only last for two years.
1994: Aerosmith played the first of seven nights at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, during their 245 date Get A Grip world tour.
1996: Pantera's 8th studio album, 'The Great Southern Trendkill,' is released. Due to tension and conflicts within the band, Phil Anselmo records his vocals in New Orleans while the rest of the band lays down tracks in Dallas. It peaks at #4 and spends sixteen weeks on Billboard's 200 Album Chart.‬
1998: Steve Perry officially leaves Journey, honoring an agreement made with Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain that they would reform the band without him if he was not able to tour. He is replaced with the similar-sounding Steve Augeri. Drummer Steve Smith also left the group.
2001: The Black Crowes release their 6th studio album 'Lions.'
2001: Paul McCartney's greatest hits compilation album, 'Wingspan: Hits and History' is released. It reached #2 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart, and #5 on the UK Albums chart.
2002: The Rolling Stones arrive by blimp at New York’s Van Cortland Park to announce their 2002/2003 world tour.
2003: After an investigation that lasted nearly four months, police in London, England cleared Pete Townsend on charges that he downloaded child porn from the Internet. Investigators did confirm that Townsend had accessed a site containing such images in 1999 and as a result, he has been listed on a national register of sex offenders.
2004: Rudy Maugeri, the baritone voice of the 1950s doo-wop group, The Crew Cuts, died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Las Vegas. He was 73. Taking their name from a popular hair style of the day, the quartet formed in Toronto and went on to have several hits in the US, including the number one 'Sh-Boom' in 1954 and the number three 'Earth Angel' in 1955.
2004: Hoobastank land their first Top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with 'The Reason.' It hits the #10 spot.
2005: 'Holiday,' the 3rd single from Green Day's seventh studio album, 'American Idiot,' is released. The track goes on to top both the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and Alternative Song charts.
2005: System Of A Down perform 'B.Y.O.B.' and 'Chop Suey!' on NBC's Saturday Night Live. Guitarist-singer Daron Malakian screams an expletive that is broadcast uncensored. Even so, western civilization remains intact.
2006: The Who's Roger Daltrey performs at the closing ceremony for Arsenal's stadium, known as Highbury, in London. Daltrey sings 'Highbury Highs,' after Arsenal plays its final game at the venue. "I'm more excited about this than I was about playing Woodstock!" claims Daltrey.
2007: A wrongful-termination lawsuit brought by Don Felder against his former Eagles bandmates is settled. No details are released. The guitarist was fired from the band in February 2001.
2007: It's announced that Evanescence guitarist John LeCompt and drummer Rocky Gray have left the band. "We shared some great times together playing live, but they were ready to move on and so we have parted ways," claims singer Lee in a written statement. But LeCompt says he was fired "without any warning." Gray states that he quit. Later, Lee returns to the subject adding, "They didn't really care about Evanescence at all and just stayed around for the money."
2008: Def Leppard's 'Songs From The Sparkle Lounge' enters the Billboard 200 at #5 in its first week out. Selling 55,000 copies, the album is the band's 11th straight release to reach the Top 20.
2008: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band play a benefit concert at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ. They perform 'Darkness On The Edge Of Town' and 'Born To Run'
albums in their entirety. That is "something we've never done before and you're not gonna see anywhere else," claims The Boss. The event raises more than $3 million with proceeds going to support and pay for renovations to the historic venue, which hosted numerous Springsteen concerts.
2008: The National Association of Recording Merchandisers honor Jackson Browne and B.B. King at organization's 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner in San Francisco. Browne receives the Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award, while King is presented with the Chairman's Award for Sustained Creative Achievement.
2009: Comcast offers exclusive Green Day content via the On Demand television service and comcast.net. 10 songs from a club show at the Fox Theater in Oakland are presented with more than 30 of the band's videos.
2009: Apple approves NIN: Access iPhone application. The computer company had rejected the app update due to objectionable material, but Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor responds arguing that Apple's decision is hypocritical because its iTunes store sells NIN albums with expletive lyrics.
2010: Exodus release their 9th studio album, 'Exhibit B: The Human Condition.' The album debuted at #114 on the Billboard 200 chart. Andy Sneap produced the album.
2010: 'Iron Man 2' opens in U.S. theaters. The soundtrack features AC/DC's 'Highway To Hell,' and 'Let There Be Rock.' There are also soundtrack contributions from Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello.
2011: The Eagles perform at Universal Studios in Hollywood to honor philanthropists Shelli and Irving Azoff as they receive the 2011 Spirit of Life Award presented by City of Hope. The Eagles were the first major act Azoff managed on his way to becoming an industry legend. City of Hope raises money for research, treatment, and education programs for life threatening diseases including cancer, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS.
2011: A bust of Bruce Springsteen titled "Soulful Humanitarian" is unveiled in Asbury Park. Created by Stephen Zorochin and sponsored by the Arts Coalition of Asbury Park (ArtsCAP) and the Shore Institute of Contemporary Arts (SICA), the sculpture is on display for five months.
2011: The first Carolina Rebellion Festival takes place in Charlotte, NC at the Metrolina Expo. The lineup features Avenged Sevenfold, Godsmack, Three Days Grace, Stone Sour, Seether and Bullet For My Valentine. 2011
2012: Alice Cooper, actor Johnny Depp, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry jam at the Dark Shadows premiere party for an exclusive audience.
2013: Joe Satriani's 14th studio album, 'Unstoppable Momentum' was released.
2013: Rod Stewart's his first album of new material in almost 20 years, 'Time' is released.
2013: Carlos Santana is inducted into the House of Blues Las Vegas' Blues God Ceiling. The ceiling features clay busts of Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and Janis Joplin.
2013: As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis is arrested after he allegedly asks an undercover detective to murder his estranged wife.
2015: Slash and Myles Kennedy partner with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to raise awareness of the slaughter of African elephants. They composed the song 'Beneath The Savage Sun' after witnessing the devastation of the elephants first-hand.
2015: Eric Clapton and Little Richard are among the inductees into the Blues Hall of Fame in Memphis.
2015: Three of B.B. King's 11 surviving children lost a bid in a Las Vegas court to take control over their father's affairs after they said they suspect the 89-year-old Blues legend's manager of stealing his money and neglecting his medical care while blocking them from seeing him in home hospice care.
2015: The Treatment announced that singer Mitchel Emms and guitarist Tao Grey have joined the band replacing Matt Jones and Fabian "Dee" Dammers, respectively.
2016: Axl Rose makes his debt fronting AC/DC. Rose steps-in for Brian Johnson who suffers from severe hearing loss. The concert takes place in Lisbon, Portugal. Rose gets good reviews.
2016: Following his unexpected death, Prince takes the top two spots on the Billboard albums chart with 'The Very Best of Prince' at #1 and 'Purple Rain' at #2. With his music unavailable on most streaming services and download distributors, physical albums are in many cases the best way to get his music.

May 8
1961: Teen heart-throb Ricky Nelson officially changes his name to 'Rick' on his 21st birthday.
1964: The Beatles had held the #1 position on the US singles chart for fourteen weeks with three #1's in succession. 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' for seven weeks, 'She Loves You' for two weeks and 'Can't Buy Me Love', for five weeks.
1965: Shooting of the promotional film for Bob Dylan’s 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' took place at the side of the Savoy Hotel in London. Actors in the background were Allen Ginsberg and Bob Neuwirth. The original clip was actually the opening segment of D. A. Pennebaker's film, 'Don't Look Back,' a documentary on Bob Dylan's 1965 tour of England. In the film, Dylan, who came up with the idea, holds up cue cards for the camera with selected words and phrases from the lyrics. The cue cards were written by Donovan, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Neuwirth and Dylan himself. While staring at the camera, he flipped the cards as the song played.
1965: Eight spots in the Billboard Top Ten were occupied by British acts, setting an all-time record: #1 - 'Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter' by Herman's Hermits, #3 - 'Ticket to Ride' by The Beatles, #4 - 'Game of Love' by Wayne Fontana And The Mindbenders, #6 - 'I Know a Place' by Petula Clark, #7 - 'Silhouettes' by Herman's Hermits, #8 - 'I'm Telling You Now' by Freddie And The Dreamers, #9 - 'The Last Time' by The Rolling Stones and #10 - 'Cast Your Fate to the Wind' by Sounds Orchestral.
1966: Pink Floyd appeared at the Marquee Club in London.
1969: John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr signed a business management contract with Allen Klein and his company ABKCO, but Paul McCartney refused to sign, continuing to let the Eastmans represent his interests.
1970: The Beatles 12th and final album, 'Let It Be' was released, (it was recorded before ‘Abbey Road’ and originally to be called 'Get Back.' The album came in a deluxe-boxed edition with a 'Get Back' book.
1970: The Doors perform at Detroit's Cobo Arena where John Sebastian of The Lovin' Spoonful joins them for half a dozen songs. Unfortunately the show ran past its twelve o'clock curfew, contrary to the guidelines set out by the American Federation Of Musicians, and The Doors would be banned from returning to Cobo. A recording of the concert would be released in 2000 as 'Live In Detroit.'
1970: The Who performed at the University of Kent in Canterbury, Kent, England. The opening act was Genesis.
1972: Keyboardist and singer Billy Preston becomes the first Rock performer to headline at Radio City Music Hall. Others to soon follow will include David Bowie and Mountain.
1974: Graham Bond dies when he commits suicide by throwing himself in front of a train. He was just 36. Bond was the keyboard player in Blues Incorporated and then formed the Graham Bond Quartet, with Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce. At the time of his death, he allegedly believed he was the son of occult figure Aleister Crowley.
1975: Rush played at Lewis University in Lockport, Illinois.
1975: Bad Company's second album, 'Straight Shooter' goes gold.
1976: The Steve Miller Band's 'Take The Money And Run' is released. It peaks at #11 in the US.
1976: Peter Frampton reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart for the first time as 'Show Me the Way' reached its peak at #6.
1976: In Houston, Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson duet on “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” Backstage, Nelson is given a subpoena to appear before a grand jury investigating drug trafficking.
1976: John Sebastian, who had left The Lovin' Spoonful for a solo career in 1968, hit the top of Billboard Magazine's Hot 100 chart with the theme to the TV show,' Welcome Back Kotter.' John would later say that he wrote the song in 15 minutes. Oddly enough, it even reached #93 on the Billboard Country Chart. The series was originally called 'Kotter,' but after Sebastian wrote the song, the title was changed to accommodate. Sebastian tried writing a song called 'Kotter,' but could only rhyme that word with "otter."
1977: The Grateful Dead played one of their most celebrated shows – Barton Hall at Cornell University in Cornell, New York, a very popular show among Grateful Dead tape collectors.
1978: David Bowie appeared at Madison Square Garden in New York.
1979: Supertramp's album, 'Breakfast in America' goes Platinum and will eventually hit #1. The group would get three top 15 singles from the album: 'The Logical Song,' 'Goodbye Stranger' and 'Take the Long Way Home.'
1979: Yes performed at the Seattle Center Coliseum in Seattle, Washington.
1980: Black Sabbath played at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.
1981: Loverboy's self-titled debut album goes gold.
1982: Neil Bogart, founder of Casablanca Records, dies of cancer at 39. Casablanca Records signed such acts as Kiss, T. Rex, Angel, Donna Summer, The Village People and Joan Jett.
1982: Paul McCartney scored his 5th UK #1 album with 'Tug Of War.' The album featured the duet with Stevie Wonder 'Ebony & Ivor,', which was inspired by McCartney hearing comedian Spike Milligan say "black notes, white notes, and you need to play the two to make harmony, folks!", (the ebony (black) and ivory (white) keys on a piano).
1982: A group of seasoned L.A. studio musicians calling themselves Toto, enter the Billboard Pop chart with 'Roseanna.' The record will climb from #81 all the way to the top and be named Record of the Year at the 1983 Grammy Awards.
1984: Roger Waters released his first solo album 'The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking.' The concept album, as originally envisioned by Waters in 1977, rotated around a man's thoughts during a midlife crisis, and featured guest musicians Eric Clapton on guitar, David Sanborn on saxophone and Michael Kamen on piano.
1998: The Traveling Wilburys were tracking 'Traveling Wilburys I' at Dave Stewart's studio in Los Angeles.
1990: ‎Bruce Dickinson‬ of Iron Maiden‬ released his first solo album 'Tattooed Millionaire.'
1990: Tom Waits wins a $2.5 million lawsuit against Frito-Lay, which had used a Waits sound-alike in a commercial.
1992: The three surviving Beatles and John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, won a legal battle to block the CD release of a Beatles recording made at the Star Club in Hamburg in 1962.
1993: Mark Knopfler received an honorary music doctorate from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England.
1993: Aerosmith entered the US album chart at #1 with 'Get A Grip'. The album went on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide as well as winning the band two Grammy awards. It's the band's first #1 album. It spends an impressive 92 weeks on the chart. ‬
1995: Rick Nelson receives a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1996: A Los Angeles judge ruled against Tommy Lee and wife Pamela Anderson in their bid to keep Penthouse magazine from publishing still photos from an X-rated home movie that was stolen from their home.
1997: Megadeth released the single 'Trust.' The song was nominated for a 1998 Grammy award for Best Metal Performance
1998: The Beatles are awarded tapes from the "Star Club" era. The group and Yoko Ono had gone to court to stop the release of these live, bootleg recordings.
2000: Iron Maiden release the single for 'Wicker Man,' from the band's 12th studio album, 'Brave New World.' The song was nominated for a Grammy Award in the "Best Metal Performance" category the following year. It was the first single by the band since the return of vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith in 1999. ‬
‪The single peaked at number 9 on the #OfficialCharts
2001: Sum 41's 'All Killer, No Filler' album with hit single, 'Fat Lip,' is released.
2001: Staind release their 'Break The Cycle' album.
2001: The road manager for Insane Clown Posse is arrested at an Omaha show for attacking an Eminem supporter who was tossing M&M candies on stage to taunt ICP about their Detroit rival.
2003: Elton John announced that he & long-time lyricist Bernie Taupin will write the score for a Broadway musical based on the Anne Rice novel The Vampire Lestat.
2004: Fleetwood Mac launches a 36 date tour starting in Madison, Wisconsin.
2004: Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell marries publicist Vicky Karayiannis in Paris. It's the second time they exchange vows. The couple initially wed when Cornell's divorce became official but decided to re-tie the knot in a more traditional manner.
2005: Bruce Springsteen was at #1 on the US album chart with 'Devils and Dust,' his 13th #1 studio album.
2006: A Red Hot Chili Peppers concert filmed in Milan, Italy, airs on MTV.
2006: The Rolling Stones called off their forthcoming European tour after guitarist Keith Richards underwent emergency brain surgery. The 62 year-old guitarist suffered "mild concussion" when he fell out of a coconut tree on holiday in Fiji.
2006: Michael Davis, the former bassist for Detroit's MC5, was involved in a motorcycle accident in which he suffered a fractured spine, bruised ribs, and several abrasions. He was expected to make a full recovery.
2006: Apple Corps, the label owned by the Beatles' members and/or their families, lose a trademark-infringement lawsuit against Apple Computer. A London court rules that the computer company did not breach a 1991 contract involving the "Apple" name and logo, because its iPod and iTunes services are involved in selling music rather than creating it.
2006: The two Australian miners are rescued after spending nearly two weeks trapped more than a half-mile underground. The miners passed the time listening to the Foo Fighters on their iPods. As a result, lead Foo Fighter David Grohl promises, "there's two tickets to any Foo's show, anywhere, and two cold beers waiting for you."
2006: Davide Campari-Milano, an Italian beverage corporation, agrees to purchase an 80-percent share of Sammy Hagar's Cabo Wabo Tequila company for $80 million. The 11-year-old Cabo Wabo ships 70,000 cases annually.
2007: A collection of Grateful Dead memorabilia earns more than $1.1 million during an auction in San Francisco. Guitars owned by the late Jerry Garcia draw the most action, including a cream-colored 1975 Travis Bean electric that nets $312,000.
2007: Fu Manchu released their 9th album, 'We Must Obey.'
2007: Megadeth released their 11th studio album, 'United Abominations.'
2009: Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis receives the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award at the 5th annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert in Los Angeles. He's recognized for his contributions to the charity, which provides support to musicians with substance-abuse problems.
2009: Bob Dylan led the Billboard Hot 200 album chart for the 5th time when 'Together Through Life' debuted in the #1 spot. It gave the Rock 'n' Roll icon back-to-back chart toppers as 2006's 'Modern Times' also started in the penthouse.
2009: Nine Inch Nails launch their joint tour with Jane's Addiction in West Palm Beach, FL. It's Jane's Addiction's first tour with their original lineup in eighteen years. Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello's side project, Street Sweeper, are also on the bill.
2010: Jack White raises money for Nashville flood relief by donating all sales of his Music City-based Third Man Records store.
2012: Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider releases his solo album 'Dee Does Broadway' which features his take on Broadway classics. Snider and Cyndi Lauper duet on 'Big Spender.' Snider also issues his autobiography 'Shut Up And Give Me The Mic.'
2012: Lead singer for Florida punk band Against Me! comes out as transgender and announces gender reassignment surgery. Previously Tom Gabel, but as of now is to be known as Laura Jane Grace. The band's next album, 'Transgender Dysphoria Blues,' is directly inspired by this turn of events and Gabel's/Grace's struggles with gender dysphoria.
2014: Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan announces that Tommy Lee, of Motley Crue, will be playing drums on the album 'Monuments To An Elegy.'
2014: Chuck Berry was named as one of the 2014 Polar Music Prize laureates. A spokesperson from the award committee said: "In the course of three minutes he conjures up an image of the everyday life and dreams of a teenager, often with the focus on cars. Chuck Berry, born in 1926, was the first to drive up onto the highway and announce that we are born to run."
2014: U2 is on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, nearly six months after a major bicycle accident forced Bono to cancel the band's planned weeklong residency on the late night program. The appearance includes an impromptu acoustic performance, with the band in disguise, at the 42nd St. subway station in New York City.
2015: Gwar announce via Facebook that Vulvatron (Kim Dylla), their only female member, has been fired. Vulvatron joined Gwar in '14 following the death of frontman Dave 'Oderus Urungus' Brockie.
2015: Rush: R40 Live Tour, the group's 40th anniversary North American trek, gets underway. The first stop is Tulsa.

May 9
1958: Alan Freed quit his job at radio station WINS over what he says is the station's failure to support him after he was indicted for causing a riot in Boston.
1959: UK music paper Melody Maker introduced a Juke Box Top 20 Chart compiled from 200 Juke Boxes around the UK.
1963: During a concert at London's Albert Hall, Paul McCartney met future girlfriend, 17 year-old Jane Asher, for the first time.
1963: The Rolling Stones sign their first management contract with Andrew Loog Oldham's management company Impact, agreeing to license their UK output to Decca.
1964: Chuck Berry began his first ever UK tour at The Astoria Theatre in London, supported by The Animals, The Swinging Blue Jeans, Karl Denver and the Nashville Teens.
1964: Gene Vincent and the Shouts appeared at The Rhodes Centre, Bishop's Gate, England. The poster advertised that the first 50 girls would be admitted free; tickets cost six shillings and six pence, ($0.94).
1964: After 14 weeks at number one, The Beatles are finally pushed out of Billboard's top spot by 63 year old Louis Armstrong's 'Hello Dolly.'
1965: During a UK tour Bob Dylan played the first of two sold out nights at London's Royal Albert Hall. All four members of The Beatles were in the audience.
1966: The Doors played at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California auditioning for the position of the venue's house band.
1968: Blue Cheer, supported by Quill, appeared at Boston Tea Party in Boston, Massachusetts.
1969: Neil Young & Crazy Horse played at The Stone Ballroom in New Haven, Connecticut.
1969: Beatles guitarist George Harrison’s experimental album 'Electronic Sounds' was released. It was the 2nd and final record released on the Beatles' short-lived Zapple Records label, a subsidiary of Apple Records. It failed to chart in the UK, and only reached #191 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart.
1970: 'Cricklewood Green,' from Ten Years After, peaks at #14 on the U.S. album chart.
1970: The Guess Who hit the top spot on Billboard's Hot 100 with "American Woman". The song was born by accident when guitarist Randy Bachman was playing a heavy riff on stage after he had broken a string and the band had taken a break. The other members joined in on the jam and Burton Cummings started singing the first thing that came into his head. A fan in the audience had it all on tape and presented it to the group after the show. It was quickly developed into a full song in the studio and ended up spending 3 weeks at the top of the US singles chart.
1972: Black Oak Arkansas, Montrose and The Strawbs play Selland Arena in Fresno, CA.
1973: Mick Jagger adds $150,000 of his own money to the $350,000 raised by The Rolling Stones' January benefit concert for victims of the Nicaraguan earthquake.
1974: Bonnie Raitt played two shows at Harvard Square Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The opening act was Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Rolling Stone critic John Landau saw Springsteen and wrote 'I have seen rock & roll's future and his name is Bruce Springsteen. And on a night when I needed to feel young, he made me feel like I was hearing music for the very first time." Landau went on to become Springsteen's manager and producer.
1974: Bob Dylan, appeared at a Friends of Chile benefit at New York’s Felt Forum. He plays 'Spanish Is the Loving Tongue' and 'Blowin’ in the Wind' with Arlo Guthrie, Phil Ochs, and Pete Seeger.
1975: Hawkwind released their 5th studio album, 'Warrior on the Edge of Time.'
1975: KISS, The James Gang and Rush all appeared at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio. Advance tickets cost $5.00.
1977: The Grateful Dead performed at Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York.
1977: David Coverdale released his 1st solo album, 'White Snake.'
1978: Fee Waybill of The Tubes, broke a leg after falling from the stage at the Hammersmith Odeon in London whilst wielding a chainsaw during the bands set. He says, "I had a chain saw and we were doing ‘I Was a Punk Before You Were a Punk’ when I went to jump off the edge of the stage and I slipped off with my left leg, and my whole body twisted around and I broke my right leg. It broke before I hit the ground and I am laying there, can’t get up, the chainsaw is still running, and no one comes to my rescue! Everyone figured it was just part of the show.”
1980: 'I Don’t Like Mondays' by The Boomtown Rats won the best pop song and outstanding British lyric categories at the 25th Ivor Novello Awards. Supertramp’s 'The Logical Song' won Best Song Musically and Lyrically. Boomtown Rats lead singer Bob Geldoff was inspired to write the song after hearing about the tragic shooting spree when 16-year-old Brenda Spencer killed two people and wounded nine others when she fired from her house across the street onto the entrance of a San Diego elementary school. Spencer showed no remorse for her crime and her full explanation for her actions was “I don’t like Mondays. This livens up the day.” Geldoff was in Altanta, Georgia and described the inspiration, “I was doing a radio interview in Atlanta and there was a telex machine beside me. I read it as it came out. Not liking Mondays as a reason for doing somebody in is a bit strange.”
1981: Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield met for the first time in Newport Beach, CA. Lars had placed an ad in a local newspaper called The Recycler that read "Drummer looking for other metal musicians to jam with Tygers of Pan Tang, Diamond Head and Iron Maiden.” James responded, and Metallica was officially formed later that year.
1986: The Rolling Stones 'One Hit (To The Body)' b/w 'Fight' 45 single is released. The single reached the top 30 in the US but is notable for being the first single by the band to miss the UK Top 75.
1987: Europe peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with their 3rd album 'The Final Countdown,' which went on to sell three million copies in the U.S.
1987: Lou Gramm's 'Ready Or Not' b/w 'Lover Come Back' 45 single is released. It reached #54 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 on the Hot Mainstream Rock chart.
1987: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes Lou Gramm’s 'Ready Or Not' at #90 (debut), Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ 'Jammin’ Me' at #48, Fleetwood Mac’s 'Big Love' at #9, Bryan Adams’ 'Heat Of The Night' at #7, and Crowded House’s 'Don’t Dream It’s Over' at #5. ‬
1989: R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry collapses due to a bronchial infection during the group's European tour. Four shows in Germany are canceled.
1992: Seventeen years after his first US record chart entry, Bruce Springsteen makes his US TV debut when he appears on Saturday Night Live with host Tom Hanks. He performs three songs to promote his two recently-released albums, 'Lucky Town' and 'Human Touch,' which were not selling as well as had been hoped.
1993: Kurt Cobain is treated at a Seattle hospital for a drug overdose. He has a combination of heroin (self-inflicted) and bupreorphine (injected by his wife, Courtney Love).
1994: Yngwie Malmsteen released his 7th studio album, 'The Seventh Sign.'
1995: Morbid Angel released their 4th full-length studio album, 'Domination.'
1998: Jimmy Page appeared on 'Saturday Night Live' with rapper Sean 'Puffy' Combs and performed 'Come With Me' from the 'Godzilla' movie soundtrack. The song sampled the guitar riff from Led Zeppelin's song 'Kashmir.'
1998: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant debuted at their peak position of number eight on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with 'Walking into Clarksdale,' which went on to go Gold.
1998: Brian Wilson plays his first ever solo concert (no Beach Boys) at a show in St. Charles, Illinois.
1998: Several US department stores refuse to stock the newly released Prince album 'Lovesexy' because of its cover photo, which features a nude picture of him.
2000: Metallica‬ released the single 'I Disappear' from the M:i-2' (Mission Impossible 2) soundtrack.
2000: Jag Panzer released their 5th studio album, 'Thane to the Throne.'
2000: Bad Religion release their eleventh full-length studio album 'The New America.' This is the band's final release on Atlantic Records and their final recording with drummer Bobby Schayer, who had been a member of Bad Religion since 1991.
2001: Former Skid Row vocalist Sebastian Bach is nominated for a Broadway.com Audience Award for his role in the Broadway show 'Jekyll & Hyde.'
2001: With a total of 18.5 million sales, KISS is ranked 90th on the RIAA's list of Top Artists Of All Time. Appearing in the top 10 are Led Zeppelin at #3 and AC/DC at #9.
2001: Jimmy DeKnight a.k.a. James Myers, co-writer of 'Rock Around The Clock' dies. The song was written in 1952 and originally recorded by Sunny Dae & His Knights. In 1954, Bill Haley & The Comets have a minor hit with it but when their version is featured during the opening credits of the movie Blackboard Jungle (1955), the song launches Rock n' Roll.
2002: Sammy Hagar & The Waboritas are joined on stage at the Fillmore in San Francisco, by Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, and then by Metallica's Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett. The musicians perform several songs under the name High Maintennance.
2003: Doug Aldrich officially joins Whitesnake.
2004: A pastor at the New Hope Christian Reformed Church in Calgary, Canada, plays Metallica music and 'The Unforgiven' video during his sermon. "Metallica are a lot like the Old Testament prophets who would rail against the crap that`s going on in the world," says Pastor John Van Sloten. Previous services included tunes by Evanescence and U2.
2006: Red Hot Chili Peppers release their double album 'Stadium Arcadium.'
2006: KoRn release 'Live & Rare,' a compilation of mostly of live tracks including an 2003 gig at New York's legendary CBGB club and performances from Woodstock '99.
2006: Tool's fourth album, '10,000 Days,' sells over 560,000 copies in its first week of release to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Pearl Jam's self-titled CD is #2 moving more than 279,000 units.
2006: Robert Plant, Roger Daltrey, Emerson, Lake & Palmer's Greg Lake and Argent's Russ Ballard participate in a London fund-raiser with proceeds going to Evelina Children's Hospital Appeal and Camp Simcha.
2007: An undisclosed settlement is reached in the wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the relatives of 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott against a Columbus, OH, nightclub. The Damageplan/Pantera guitarist and three others were killed by a deranged gunman during a Damageplan show in December 2004.
2007: Queen's Brian May goes back to college to get his PhD in astronomy. The guitarist abandoned his education back in the '70s for a career in music. At London's Imperial College, May focuses his studies on interplanetary dust.
2007: Rush's 'Snakes & Arrows,' lands at #3 on the Billboard 200 selling 93,000 units in its debut week. It's the group's first album in five years.
2008: Slash and Alice Cooper are honored in Hollywood. The Velvet Revolver guitarist receives the MusiCares From The Heart Award at the event, which raises money for the organization's efforts to help musicians fighting addiction. Cooper is handed the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award for his dedication to and support of the MusiCares MAP Fund and his devotion to helping other addicts with the recovery process.
2008: Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx is honored at Covenant House California's ninth annual Awards Gala in Beverly Hills. Sixx is recognized in part for helping to launch Running Wild In The Night, a fundraising initiative for the youth homelessness charity.
2008: Jon Bon Jovi and the Philadelphia Soul arena football team he co-owns lend their support to a $3.3 million initiative to construct 12 transitional housing units at a North Philly facility run by Project H.O.M.E. During the groundbreaking ceremony the Bon Jovi frontman is recognized for his contributions.
2009: 'Quadrophenia,' a touring stage adaptation of The Who's 1973 concept album, makes its debut in Plymouth, England. The album's guiding force, Pete Townshend, is involved in the production.
2011: Aerosmith frontman and American Idol judge Steven Tyler releases a solo single, '(It) Feels So Good. '
2011: A Los Angeles Times article claims that judges quote Bob Dylan more than any other songwriter when passing down their opinions. (Other contenders were Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen and R.E.M.). Apparently, judges identify Dylan with the principles that led them into jurisprudence.
2011: Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood is named personality of the year at the U.K.'s Sony Radio Academy Awards. The Ronnie Wood Show is broadcast in Britain.
2011: A week-long tribute to Bob Marley begins on 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.' It marks the 30th anniversary of the Reggae star's death from melanoma in 1981. During the week there are performances Marley's son Ziggy, Chris Cornell, Jakob Dylan and Lenny Kravitz. "Big up Jimmy Fallon for honoring the memory of my father," says Ziggy.
2012: Halestorm become the first female fronted band to score a #1 hit on the Active Radio charts. They do it with 'Love Bites (So Do I),' a track from their album, 'The Strange Case Of...'
2013: As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis pleads not guilty to a charge of solicitation of murder of his estranged wife. The judge sets bail at $3 million.
2013: David Bowie's latest video, which starred Gary Oldman and Marion Cotillard, was temporarily pulled from YouTube over its graphic content. 'The Next Day' featured heavy religious imagery, including Cotillard bleeding from stigmata marks. The video sees Bowie performing in a basement bar, surrounded by religious figures, while Oldman, dressed as a priest, punches a beggar before dancing with a prostitute, played by Oscar-winner Cotillard. YouTube admitted making the "wrong call" in removing the video, and reinstated it with an adult content warning.
2013: Iron Maiden and Robinsons Brewery launch the band's Trooper beer in select Robinsons pubs. Thanks to pre-sales, over a quarter of a million pints are produced for the U.K. alone. Robinsons employees have to work a six-day week to keep up with demand.
2014: Robinsons Brewery in the U.K. announces that Trooper Beer has sold 5 million pints in its first year.' album.
2014: Peter Gabriel cancels a concert in Kiev, scheduled for the following day, due to security concerns. "Due to the on-going unrest in Ukraine it has become clear that the security of the touring personnel and equipment cannot be guaranteed during the planned visit to the country and this has presented us with significant logistical difficulties that we have been unable to resolve," reads Gabriel's statement. The Ukraine, riff with political and ethnic strife, is also under threat of a Russian invasion.
2015: Metallica headline the inaugural U.S. version of the Rock In Rio festival at the MGM Resorts Festival Grounds in Las Vegas.
2016: Rob Zombie's 'Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser' tops the Billboard Rock and Hard Rock Chart. Sixx: A.M.'s fourth album, 'Prayers For The Damned,' the first half of a double album, sits at #2.
2016: Britta Lee Shain, a former girlfriend of Bob Dylan, released a memoir called Seeing the Real You at Last, in which she shared various anecdotes about their love affair and stories about her days with the music legend. Shain had previously dated Dylan's tour manager before the star swooped in and stole her away.
2016: 67-year-old Ozzy Osbourne and his 63-year-old wife Sharon split up after more than 33 years of marriage. The couple wed on July 4, 1982 and had three children together, Aimee, Kelly and Jack Osbourne. They reconciled shortly after.
2017: Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington speaks out regarding changes in the band’s sound, especially the constant comparisons to the ’00 album 'Hybrid Theory.' People should “move the f*ck on” says Bennington.

May 10
1954: Bill Haley And His Comets '(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock' b/w 'Thirteen Women (And Only One Man In Town)' 45 single is released. It was a #1 single on both the US and UK charts and also re-entered the UK Singles Chart in the 1960s and 1970s.
1960: The Silver Beetles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe, and Tommy Moore) auditioned for promoter Larry Parnes and singer Billy Fury for a job as Fury's backing group. Parnes was also looking for backing group's for his lesser-known acts, and The Silver Beetles were selected as backing group for singer Johnny Gentle's upcoming tour of Scotland. The group had changed its name from 'The Beatals' to 'The Silver Beetles' after Brian Casser (of Cass and the Cassanovas) remarked that the name 'Beatals' was "ridiculous". He suggested they use the name 'Long John and the Silver Beetles', but John Lennon refused to be referred to as 'Long John'.
1963: The Rolling Stones recorded the Chuck Berry song 'Come On' at Olympic Studios in London. This was the bands first release - issued on the June 7, 1963 by Decca Records.
1964: Bob Dylan arrived in the U.K. for his first major U.K. tour which kicked off at London’s Royal Albert Hall on the 17th.
1964: Rolling Stones conduct their first 'official' recording session at London's Olympic Studios with manager Andrew Loog Oldham producing. They record their version of Chuck Berry's 'Come On.' The song is the group's first single though it's initially rejected by Decca Records who call the track "dreadful." It eventually peaks at #21 in the U.K.
1965: The Rolling Stones began recording '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' at Chess Studios in Chicago, with Brian Jones on harmonica. The group re-recorded it two days later at RCA Studios in Hollywood, with a different beat and the Gibson Maestro fuzzbox that Keith Richards had recently acquired, adding sustain to the sound of the guitar riff.
1965: In London, The Beatles cover of two Larry Williams songs, 'Bad Boy' and 'Dizzy Miss Lizzy,' on Williams' birthday. The songs appear on 'Beatles VI.'
1966: Paul Revere & The Raiders anti-drug song, 'Kicks,' peaks at #5 on the U.S. chart. The song was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil for The Animals, who passed on it.
1966: A year after returning to her home state of Texas from San Francisco, Janis Joplin heads west again. She was summoned by Chet Helms, a friend who is now managing Big Brother & the Holding Company. He dispatches Travis Rivers, an old acquaintance of Janis’ from her Port Arthur, Texas days to convince the singer to join Big Brother. Joplin had even considered becoming a member of 13th Floor Elevators.
1967: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards appeared at Chichester Crown Court in Sussex, charged with being in possession of drugs, they elect to go to trial pleading not guilty and were both granted £100 bail. The same day, Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones was arrested for unlawful possession of drugs.
1968: Jimi Hendrix performed at the Fillmore East in New York.
1968: Yardbirds, Three Dog Night and Turquoise play the Earl Warren Showgrounds in Sant Barabara, CA. Dave, Dee Dozy, Beaky, Mich & Tich were on the bill but were a no-show. Whoever they were.
1968: Jim Morrison incited a riot at a Doors' concert in Chicago. After writhing, jumping and even sliding maracas into his pants, Morrison had the crowd so wound up, they rushed the stage, eventually destroying it.
1969: The Turtles and The Temptations performed at the White House for a ball given by President Richard Nixon's daughter, Tricia. Mark Volman of The Turtles was reported to have fallen off the stage several times. Lead singer Howard Kaylan says, “We were loaded — high from smoking pot back at the hotel and a wee bit tipsy from all the French champagne that was being freely dispensed — and we were roaming around the most important home in America unsupervised. We were even able to actually lay out lines of coke on Abraham Lincoln’s desk.”
1969: Led Zeppelin made their first appearance on the UK album chart when the bands debut album charted at #6, going on to spend 71 weeks on the UK chart. It entered the US chart the following week at #10. Now considered one of the most important debuts in rock, creating an entirely new interpretation of the rock and roll genre because of the groundbreaking music and recording techniques. The album was recorded in 36 hours.
1969: The Who played the first of three nights at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan on their North American 'Tommy' tour.
1969: The Moody Blues topped the U.K. album chart for the first time with 'On the Threshold of a Dream,' which spent two weeks on top.
1970: David Bowie was awarded an Ivor Novello Award for Best Original Song 'Space Oddity,' which he performed that night accompanied by the Les Reed Orchestra. The event was transmitted live via satellite to venues in America, France, Spain, Australia, Holland and Venezuela.
1970: The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Sports Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
1970: The Stooges begin recording their classic 'Fun House' album.
1971: Yes appeared at Teatro Lirico in Milan, Italy.
1972: Hawkwind played at City Hall in Newcastle, England.
1972: Jethro Tull released their fifth LP 'Thick As A Brick.' The album had only one song, which was the whole album. The original packaging, designed like a newspaper, claimed that the album was a musical adaptation of an epic poem by a (fictional) 8-year-old genius, though the lyrics were actually written by the band's frontman, Ian Anderson.
1973: The TV special 'James Paul McCartney' is broadcast on Britain's ITV. He runs through a sing-along and a dance routine before closing the show with 'Yesterday.'
1974: KISS released their 2nd single, 'Kissin' Time.'
1974: New York Dolls released their 2nd album, 'Too Much Too Soon.' It reached #167 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart, and is the last studio album by the original classic line-up, The album was produced by Shadow Morton, a songwriter and record producer closely associated with girl group The Shangri-Las.
1974: Eric Clapton recorded 'I Shot The Sheriff,' which goes on to hit #1 in the US.
1974: Queen appeared at the Uris Theater in New York.
1974: Bill Wyman's 'Monkey Grip' album is released. It reached #99 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart. It was recorded with a star-studded session band that included names like Lowell George, Dr John, Leon Russell, Danny Kortchmar, and Dallas Taylor.
1974: The Who sold out Madison Square Garden in New York City for four nights selling 80,000 tickets.
1974: A party to celebrate the launch of Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song label at Los Angeles’ Bel Air Hotel ended with the guests tossing food and chinaware at each other. Bad Company and Dave Edmunds would both record for the label, which shut down in 1983.
1975: Springfield, Missouri's Ozark Mountain Daredevils topped the Cashbox Best Sellers chart with their biggest hit, 'Jackie Blue.'
1975: Apple Records officially dissolves.
1975: Springfield, Missouri's Ozark Mountain Daredevils topped the Cashbox Best Sellers chart with their biggest hit, 'Jackie Blue.'
1976: Aerosmith played at Madison Square Garden in New York.
1976: The Rolling Stones kicked off a 12-date UK tour at the Apollo Theatre in Glasgow.
1977: Rush appeared at the Riverside Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
1977: Adam & The Ants make their debut at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts. They play a lunchtime concert.
1978: The Rolling Stones 'Miss You' b/w 'Far Away Eyes' 45 single is released. It peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached #3 in the United Kingdom. The song was originally nearly nine minutes long, but was edited to nearly five minutes for the album version, and to three-and-a-half minutes for the radio single. In order to properly edit the radio single without audible bumps and glitches, a separate mix was constructed and then edited for continuity. The b-side of the single was another album track, 'Far Away Eyes,' a tongue-in-cheek country and western tune sung by Jagger in a pronounced drawl. In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine rated 'Miss You' #498 in its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
1979: Roxy Music played at City Hall in Newcastle, England.
1980: Genesis 'Misunderstanding' b/w 'Behind The Lines' 45 single is released. It reached #14 in the US and $42 in the UK.
1980: Pete Townshend’s solo album 'Empty Glass' is released in the U.S. John Rockwell in The New York Times says, “it a success that sounds like The Who of a decade before,” while Jon Parales in Mademoiselle says it shows “Pete has risen to the challenge set forth by punk rock.”
1980: Bob Dylan performed at City Hall in Portland, Maine.
1982: Duran Duran's sophomore album, 'Rio,'is released worldwide. Sound quality issues stall the album. But with the problems solved it is re-issued the following November. The double platinum set peaks at #6 on the Billboard 200 and remains on the chart for 129 weeks.
1983: After receiving no interest from any major record labels, Metallica begin recording their debut album for Megaforce Records on a budget of just $15,000. Originally titled 'Metal up Your Ass,' the LP's name was later changed to 'Kill 'Em All' and would peak at #120 on the Billboard Hot 200.
1984: Twisted Sister release their 3rd studio album 'Stay Hungry,' which goes on to become their most successful album selling over three million copies in the U.S. It reached #15 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart.
1984: David Gilmour played at the Forum in Montreal.
1985: Accept and Rough Cutt play the Hollywood Palladium.
1985: The Go-Go's announced they were breaking up. The members went on to enjoy solo success, (Belinda Carlisle and Jane Wiedlin) and the group reformed in the late 90's.
1986: Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee married TV star Heather Locklear in a courtyard in Santa Barbara, California with five hundred guests. Tommy wore a white leather tuxedo. The union will last for eight years.
1986: Paul Simon plays three songs from his upcoming 'Graceland' album on 'Saturday Night Live.' He's backed by South African musicians, including the vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who perform with him on 'Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes.' With South Africa under a cultural boycott in an attempt to stop Apartheid, its music was sequestered. Simon's appearance with musicians from the country and the subsequent album introduced the sound to a global audience, but also caused problems for Simon when he faced criticism for violating the boycott.
1988: Prince releases his 10th album, 'Lovesexy,' which becomes his first chart-topper in the UK.
1990: Steelheart release their self-titled debut album.
1994: Weezer release their self-titled debut (aka The Blue Album).
1995: The Black Crowes announced they planned to donate all proceeds from their Oklahoma City concert to the victims of the federal building bombing.
1999: American singer, songwriter poet, cartoonist, screenwriter, and author of children's books Shel Silverstein died of a heart attack aged 57. Wrote, 'A Boy Named Sue' for Johnny Cash (which Silverstein won a Grammy for in 1970) and many songs for Dr Hook including 'Sylvia's Mother' and 'The Cover of the Rolling Stone.' He also had an avid following on Dr. Demento’s radio show with his novelty songs.
2000: Pearl Jam played a 15-hundred seat club in Bellingham, Washington to celebrate the release of their album 'Binaural.'
2000: The MP3-swapping Web site Napster banned 317,377 users after Metallica alleged Napster users pirated their recordings.
2003: Steven Tyler of Aerosmith receives an honorary doctorate degree in music from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He also gives the commencement address.
2004: The Meat Puppets' Cris Kirkwood pleads guilty to one charge of assault in Phoenix. The charge stems from a 12/26/03 altercation with a post office security guard during which Kirkwood was shot. In addition to his work with the Puppets, Kirkwood sat in with Nirvana on their legendary 1993 MTV Unplugged performance.
2005: Selling 272,000 copies in its first week, 'With Teeth' tops the Billboard 200 album chart. It's the second time Nine Inch Nails lands at #1. The first was with 'The Fragile' in 1999.
2005: Styx released their 15th studio album, 'Big Bang Theory.'
2005: David Wayne (Metal Church, Reverend, Wayne) died from complications following a car crash in Tacoma, Washington. He was 47.
2006: Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones was discharged from a hospital in New Zealand following surgery to relieve pressure in his head following a fall from a palm tree.
2006: Great White tour manager Daniel Biechele was sentenced to four years in jail after pleading guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter. In February 2003, a fire at a nightclub set off by the metal band's pyro killed 100 people. Biechele, 29, could have gotten as much as 10 years behind bars. He also received an 11-year suspended sentence and three years of probation. He was the only participant who pleaded guilty.
2006: Chris Daughtry gets voted off Season Five of 'American Idol' in a shocker, as he was favored to win. He finished fourth: Taylor Hicks won that season.
2006: 'Tarzan,' with score by Phil Collins, opens on Broadway.
2006: Godsmack appears on NBC's 'Last Call With Carson Daly.'
2007: The surviving members of Pink Floyd took part in a tribute concert to pay respects to their former front man, Roger "Syd" Barrett, who died on July 7, 2006, at the age of 60, following complications from diabetes. David Gilmour, Rick Wright and Nick Mason, take the stage. Bassist Roger Waters also performs but not with the group.
2007: A British tribunal rules against Police frontman Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler. A sexual-discrimination suit was initiated by their former chef. The ruling labels Styler's treatment of Jane Martin "shameful" and decrees that the then-pregnant employee was unlawfully dismissed by the couple. Styler doesn't buy it calling the ruling an "unjust and unfair attack on Sting and me."
2008: Steve Winwood is awarded an honorary doctor of music degree during the commencement exercises for Boston's Berklee College of Music.
2008: Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington celebrates the 13-year anniversary of Club Tattoo in Tempe, AZ. Bennington and his friend Sean Dowdell founded the tattoo and body-piercing parlor.
2010: Anthrax announces that Joey Belladonna has rejoined the group. Belladonna was the band's vocalist from '85 to '92.
2010: Nicole Fiorentino, formerly with Veruca Salt announces, via her MySpace page, that she's the new Smashing Pumpkins bassist. Fiorentino is the 4th female bassist in Pumpkins' history following D'Arcy Wretzky, Melissa Auf der Maur and Ginger Pooley.
2010: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon kicks off a week of special performances devoted to celebrating the reissue of the Rolling Stones' classic album 'Exile On Main Street.' First up is Green Day who perform 'Rip This Joint.'
2011: Anvil released their 14th studio album, 'Juggernaut of Justice.'
2011: The Cars release 'Move Like This,' their first album since 1987's 'Door To Door' (they broke up soon after the album was completed). The LP includes the group's original lineup except for bassist Benjamin Orr who passed away in 2000.
2011: Warren Hayes (Allman Brothers Band, Gov't Mule) releases the album 'Man In Motion.'
2011: 'AC/DC Live At River Plate,' a live concert DVD documenting their Black Ice World Tour, is released.
2011: Avenged Sevenfold premiere the music video for 'So Far Away,' a tribute to late Avenged drummer Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan. 'The Rev' died in 2009 from an overdose of prescription drugs. The band says the video is a "raw and emotional" and a "very personal goodbye" to him.
2011: A reunited System Of A Down begins a reunion tour in Edmonton, Canada. The band had been on 'indefinite hiatus' since 2006 (Ozzfest).
2011: Jane's Addiction (Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro and Stephen Perkins and touring bassist Chris Chaney) perform at the Google I/O Developer's Conference in San Francisco playing a career-spanning set.
2011: The ornate iron gates of a children's home which inspired John Lennon's psychedelic Beatles anthem 'Strawberry Fields Forever' were removed after The Salvation Army, which owned the former home, decided to put the red Victorian gates into storage. Beatles fans who passed the Liverpool site on tours would now be met with 10ft high replicas. The original gates were being taken to a secret location for storage, and would eventually be auctioned off.
2011: Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler releases solo single '(It) Feels So Good.' It peaks at #35 on Billboard's Hot
2013: A two-year degree in heavy metal music was branded an "easy option" by education campaigners. The foundation degree was being offered by New College Nottingham in the UK. The course, which was due to start later this year would include modules on the music business, the history of heavy metal and its role in films and video games and would show students how to compose and perform heavy metal songs.
2013: Two men were arrested in Dublin after the city center statue of Phil Lynott was pushed over and seriously damaged. The memorial to the Thin Lizzy icon has been removed from its Harry Street location for repairs, and the men were later released without charge. The life-size bronze sculpture was unveiled in 2005 and had become a tourist destination and landmark since then.
2013: Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Ricky Medlock wins Best Theme Song for 'Native Colors' and for Best Long Form Film for 'Homeland Nation' at the 14th annual Native American Music Awards in Niagara Falls, NY.
2014: Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page gives the commencement speech at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He tells the grads "their love of music will sustain them through the unexpected twists and turns that lie ahead." Page is also a recipient of an honorary doctorate in music.
2015: Prince's Rally 4 Peace event is at Baltimore's Royal Farms Arena. The concert is an effort to unify the community following the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody and the subsequent riots.

May 11
1957: Buddy Holly And The Crickets audition for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts program, but are rejected.
1963: The Beatles' first LP, 'Please Please Me' hits the top of the UK album chart, where it would stay for an amazing 30 weeks. It would finally be displaced by their follow-up, 'With The Beatles,' which was on top for another 21 weeks.
1964: The Rolling Stones were refused lunch at The Grand Hotel in Bristol, where they were staying, because they were not wearing jackets and ties. The Daily Mirror describes them as "the ugliest group in Britain."
1964: The Beach Boys 'I Get Around' b/w 'Don’t Worry Baby' 45 single is released. The single entered the Billboard chart on June 6 at #17. The song reached the #1 spot on the Billboard charts on July 4, replacing 'A World Without Love' by Peter and Gordon and becoming the band's first #1 hit in the United States. The song remained at #1 for two weeks before being replaced by 'Rag Doll' by The Four Seasons. The single also reached #1 on the United States Variety charts on July 1.
1964: The Beatles' Four by The Beatles' (EP) is released in the U.S. It was the second of three Beatles EPs released in the United States, and the first of two by Capitol Records. The album featured four songs that had previously been heavily imported into the US as Canadian singles. It made #92 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
1965: The Byrds make their TV debut singing 'Mr. Tambourine Man' on NBC's Hullabaloo. The song currently sat at #87 on the Hot 100, but would rise to the top of the chart by June 26th. Although the song's composer, Bob Dylan, wrote four verses for the song, The Byrds' rendition used only the second and two repeats of the chorus.
1966: Small Faces released their self-titled debut album. It reached #3 on the UK Albums chart, and includes the hit singles 'Whatcha Gonna Do About It' and 'Sha-La-La-La-Lee.'
1967: The Beatles recorded 'Baby, You’re a Rich Man' at Olympia Studios. It was the first time they’d recorded outside of Abbey Road.
1967: Pink Floyd begin two days of recording with producer Joe Boyd, working on the tracks 'Interstellar Overdrive,' 'Arnold Layne,' 'Let’s Roll Another One' and 'Nick’s Boogie.'
1968: Jimi Hendrix moves into a London townhouse formerly owned by the Messiah’s composer George Frederick Handel. The guitarist tells the Daily Mirror that he will “not let the tradition down.”
1969: Yes played at Frank Freeman’s Club in Kidderminster, England.
1969: The Rolling Stones go to #5 in the American album charts with their new release 'Beggars Banquet.' It peaked at #3 in the UK charts the previous year.
1969: The Allman Brothers Band performed the first of two nights at the Piedmont Music Festival in Atlanta.
1969: Jethro Tull release their debut album 'This Was.'
1970: The Beatles 'The Long and Winding Road' b/w 'For You Blue' 45 single is released.
1970: The soundtrack to the original Woodstock festival was released. The three record set featured many of the top Rock artists of the time, including Jimi Hendrix, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Joe Cocker and The Who. The album would go Gold within two weeks.
1971: King Crimson appeared at Guild Hall in Plymouth, England.
1972: John Lennon appears on The Dick Cavett Show on ABC-TV and says that he believes the FBI has tapped his phone as part of a plan to have him deported from the U.S. Lennon’s visa had been revoked in March and deportation proceedings were filed, supposedly because of a previous marijuana conviction in England. The real reason may have been that J. Edgar Hoover was convinced that Lennon planned to disrupt the 1972 Republican Convention by staging a number of get-out-the-vote concerts.
1972: David Cassidy, then at the very peak of his career, appears in a controversial nearly naked pose on the cover of Rolling Stone.
1972: David Bowie played at Assembly Hall in Worthing, England.
1972: The Grateful Dead’s fabled European tour stops at Rotterdam, Netherlands for a show at the Civic Hall.
1973: Wings kicked off their first official tour at the Bristol Hippodrome, playing 15 UK shows.
1973: Alice Cooper appeared at The Forum in Inglewood, California.
1973: Hawkwind released their 4th album, 'The Space Ritual Alive in Liverpool and London.'
1973: Wishbone Ash released their 4th studio album, 'Wishbone Four.'
1974: Robert Plant plays 'Love Me' with Elvis Presley after meeting him for the first time as Led Zeppelin attended Elvis Presley show at the Los Angeles Forum in California. After a shaky start to the show, Elvis stopped the band and jokingly said: “Wait a minute…if we can start together fellas, because we’ve got Led Zeppelin out there, lets try to look like we know what were doing.” All four members of Zeppelin met with Elvis after the show, spending over 2 hours backstage. Elvis asked for all the group’s autographs for his daughter Lisa Marie.
1974: Three Dog Night's 'The Show Must Go On' reaches #4 on Billboard's Hot 100 and #1 on the Cashbox best sellers chart. The song turns out to be the band's final Top Twenty hit and their last Gold single.
1974: Steely Dan release the 'Ricky, Don't Lose That Numb' single.
1975: Greg Allman appeared on Cher's TV variety show. They were married the following month, and divorced in 1979.
1975: Led Zeppelin play 'Kashmir' live for the first time during a gig at the Ahoy in Rotterdam.
1976: AC/DC begin their first U.K. tour. They open for Back Street Crawler.
1976: Bad Company play the Seattle Center Coliseum.
1978: Rush appeared at the Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
1978: At the end of their 'News Of The World' 46 date tour, Queen played three sold-out nights at Wembley Arena in London.
1979: Rod Stewart's 'Blondes Have More Fun' show stopped at the Cobo Arena in Detroit. Tickets were $12.50.
1979: George Harrison's 'Love Comes To Everyone' b/w 'Soft Touch' 45 single is released. It was issued as the 2nd single of his self-titled album. The song peaked at #38 on the US Adult Contemporary charts
1981: Jamaican singer-songwriter Bob Marley died of lung cancer and a brain tumour aged 36. Had the 1981 single 'No Woman No Cry', plus over ten other UK Top 40 singles. In 1990. February 6 was proclaimed a national holiday in Jamaica to commemorate his birth. The compilation album, 'Legend,' released in 1984, is the best-selling reggae album ever with sales of more than 20 million copies. Time magazine chose Bob Marley & The Wailers 'Exodus' as the greatest album of the 20th century. He is the best selling reggae artist of all time and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
1982: Iron Maiden kicked off the North American leg of their tour in support of The Number of the Beast at the IMA Auditorium in Flint, MI opening for Rainbow. Throughout the North American leg they also opened for 38 Special, the Scorpions & Judas Priest.
1985: Bruce Springsteen and a small group of friends went out for a boy’s night out in Lake Oswego, Oregon, two nights before his wedding to Julianne Phillips. Drinking in the Gemini pub Springsteen sang some of his own songs, karaoke-style.
1985: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers peaked at #7 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with 'Southern Accents,' which was their 4th top 10 album & went on to sell one million copies in the U.S.
1985: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes ‘Til Tuesday’s 'Voices Carry' at #45, Eurythmics’ 'Would I Lie To You?' at #40, Phil Collins’ 'Sussudio' at #39 (debut), Bryan Adams’ 'Heaven' at #25, Foreigner’s 'That Was Yesterday' at #15, and The Power Station’s 'Some Like It Hot' at #6‬.
1987: Motley Crue release their 7th single. 'Girls, Girls, Girls.'
1989: Accept released their 8th studio album, 'Eat the Heat.' It is the only Accept album to feature David Reece on vocals and was produced by Dieter Dierks. It peaked on the Billboard charts at #139‬.
1989: Badlands release their debut album. The band features Jake E. Lee, Eric Singer, Greg Chaisson and the late Ray Gillen.
1989: Roy Orbison was inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame at a ceremony in New York. Eric Clapton presented the award to Orbison's widow, Barbara.
1990: Ritchie Valens is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 31 years after his death.
1990: Trixter release their self-titled debut albumr. It attained gold status, reaching #28 on the Billboard 200 chart.
1992: Iron Maiden release their 9th studio album, 'Fear Of The Dark.' It was the first to be produced by bassist and band founder Steve Harris.
1993: Nirvana denied rumors that Geffen wouldn’t release 'In Utero' because of its un-commercial nature.
1995: Jimmie Vaughan, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Robert Cray played a tribute concert to Stevie Ray Vaughan in his hometown of Austin, Texas. The quintet had all played with Vaughan on the night in 1990 when he died in a helicopter crash.
1996: Bill Graham the Irish journalist credited with discovering U2 died of a heart attack aged 44. He was also the co-founder of the Irish music paper Hot Press. Members from Clannad, U2, Hothouse Flowers and Gavin Friday all attended his funeral.
1998: Soundgarden's Matt Cameron fills in for the ailing Jack Irons on Pearl Jam's tour. The drummer's first gig is an appearance on Late Night With David Letterman.
2001: Oasis, The Black Crowes and Spacehog kicked off 'The Tour of Brotherly Love', a North American tour at The Hard Rock in Las Vegas, Nevada. (The three bands featuring pairs of brothers (Noel and Liam Gallagher, Chris and Rich Robinson, Royston and Antony Langdon).
2003: 57 year old Noel Redding, former bass player with The Jimi Hendrix Experience, died from complications of cirrhosis of the liver. Redding joined Hendrix's band in 1966 and played on three albums before parting ways with the legendary guitarist in 1969.
2003: Jackson Browne appears on the 'Brake My Wife, Please' episode of The Simpsons.
2005: Former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page plays 'Whole Lotta Love' before the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. The performance celebrates Warner Music Group's (WMG) I.P.O. the day before. Even with Page the WMG stock loses ground (and money). Originally, the label asked Linkin Park to entertain the financial folks but the group turned them down.
2006: Guitarist Dave Baksh announces he is leaving Sum 41 to pursue a career with his new band, Brown Brigade.
2006: The Foo Fighters 'Best Of You' is named Rock Video of the Year at the 15th annual Music Video Production Association Awards in Los Angeles. The White Stripes 'My Doorbell' takes home the Alternative Video of the Year honor. Smashing Pumpkins receive an honorary Kratz Award for Creative Excellence.
2006: Fuel guitarist Carl Bell and bassist Jeff Abercrombie offer their band's vacant singer position (formerly occupied by Brett Scallions) to ousted American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry. Bell and Abercrombie make their proposal on the syndicated entertainment-news program Extra. Daughtry rejects their offer.
2006: Godsmack's Sully Erna clarifies his band's position on the Iraq War during CNN's Showbiz Tonight. "By no means has this band ever supported any war for any country," claims Erna. "What we support is our troops." The singer had recently been grilled in a magazine interview over his group allowing one of its songs to be used in a U.S. Navy recruitment ad.
2006: Ratt was featured on VH1's 'Behind The Music.'
2007: The Mamas & The Papas, Otis Redding and Al Kooper are all inducted into the Hollywood Rock Walk.
2007: Chris Cornell receives the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award at the third annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert in Los Angeles. He's recognized for his support of the organization and for his work in aiding artists recovering from substance abuse. Cornell, Army Of Anyone and the late Vaughan's backing band, Double Trouble, perform.
2008: John Rutsey, original drummer of Rush, died of complications from diabetes. He was 55. Rutsey founded Rush with Alex Lifeson and Jeff Jones and performed on their debut album. Rutsey was replaced by Neil Peart. "Although our paths diverged many years ago, we smile today, thinking back on those exciting times and remembering John's wonderful sense of humor and impeccable timing," reads a message from former Rush bandmates Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson.
2009: Ozzy Osbourne makes a surprise appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. 9-year-old Yuto Miyazawa, a Japanese guitar prodigy, performs a rendition of Ozzy's 'Crazy Train.' "(It's) the best thing I've seen in my life," says Osbourne.
2010: We Are The Fallen (consisting of former Evanescence members and fronted by American Idol contestant Carly Smithson) release their debut album, 'Tear The World Down.'
2011: Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall's daughter Elizabeth appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine's June issue. Her six-page, eight photo spread showed the 27-year-old baring all and seductively smoking a cigarette.
2011: Anvil released their album, 'Juggernaut Of Justice.' It was the final album to feature bassist Glenn Five.
2011: 'Hot Sauce Committee Part Two,' the eighth studio effort from the Beastie Boys, makes its debut at #1 on Billboard's Alternative Albums, Rock Albums and Hip-Hop Albums charts. It's #2 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart.
2011: Alice Cooper appears in "4-D" concert at the Battersea Power Station in London. The Jagermeister Ice Cold Event features a holographic image of Cooper performing with his original band (Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith and Michael Bruce) in the U.S. "Working with Jagermeister to appear as holograms on the other side of the Atlantic is the ultimate experience-a cutting-edge conjuring trick that celebrates the future and our history," says Cooper in a statement.
2011: One of the rarest rock t-shirts in the world sold for $10,000, the largest sum ever paid for a vintage t-shirt. The record-setting sale of a 1979 Led Zeppelin t-shirt on eBay was sold by Kyle Ermatinger of Stormcrow Vintage. The recent completion of the transaction placed the purchase as the world's rarest and most expensive vintage t-shirt.
2011: The three surviving members of Pink Floyd perform together for the first time since '05's Live 8 concert (and for only the second time in 30 years). David Gilmour and Nick Mason join Roger Waters during the latter's show at the O2 arena.
2012: Rob Zombie and Megadeth tour together for the first time. The month-long tour kicks off in Holmdel, NJ.
2013: Tool, the Deftones and Slash appear at the inaugural Ozzfest Japan near Tokyo. The two-day festival also features Black Sabbath's first-ever performance in Japan.
2014: Ed Gagliardi, original bassist of Foreigner, died of cancer at 62. He played on the first two Foreigner records.
2014: The Black Keys 8th studio album, 'Turn Blue,' is released. The set was co-produced by Danger Mouse and the Keys.
2014: Killer Be Killed with Soulfly frontman Max Cavalera, Mastodon bassist Troy Sanders, Dillinger Escape Plan guitarist Greg Puciato and ex-Mars Volta drummer Dave Elitch, issue the self-titled debut album.
2015: FOX cancels American Idol after 15 seasons. Though the show, hosted by Ryan Seacrest, favored pop singers, it was a platform for Chris Daughtry; had Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) as a judge; and featured performances by several Rock acts. Tyler debuts his Country solo single, 'Love Is Your Name.'
2015: Police in Queensland, Australia issue a joke BOLO (be on the lookout) for Nickelback citing "crimes against music." The band is on their Down Under tour. The Queensland Police Service warn the public of the hazards of listening to the band's music.
2015: Roger Daltrey threatens to end The Who's concert at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island due to fans smoking marijuana near the stage. Daltrey is reportedly allergic to pot and it has an "almost immediate (impact) on his voice."
2016: Hinder release 'Stripped,' an unplugged (acoustic) EP with the track 'Not An Addict.'
2016: Former Trivium drummer Nick Augusto performs with Devil You Know for the first time on their North American trek. Augusto was recruited when Devil You Know's John Sankey was unable to tour.
2016: The Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) and Metropolis Studios in London announce the establishment of a Freddie Mercury Scholarship, honoring the late Queen frontman. The scholarship, which goes to an ACM student annually, is endorsed by Queen's Roger Taylor and Brian May.
2016: Def Leppard meet the Arkansas School For The Deaf's football team after nearly 1,500 people sign an online petition to get the group to take a photo in front of the school's football scoreboard. The team's mascot is a leopard-a deaf leopard.
2017: The Offspring frontman Dexter Holland graduates with a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Southern California (USC).
2017: Paramore settles a lawsuit filed by former bassist Jeremy Davis over songwriting credits and album royalties. The band had contended Davis was a hired musician and not entitled to credits or royalties.
2017: Joe Bonamassa takes home the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year and Guitarist of the Year honors at the Blues Foundation’s 38th annual Blues Music Awards in Memphis. Tedeschi Trucks Band is named the Band of the Year and earn the Rock Blues Album trophy for 'Let Me Get By.'

May 12
1951: The #1 record on America's R&B chart was a song called 'Rocket 88' by Jackie Brenston And His Delta Cats. Many Rock historians say that this was the first true Rock and Roll record. Although Brenston sang, played sax and is credited as composer, 'His Delta Cats' were actually Ike Turner And His Kings of Rhythm.
1958: The Everly Brothers' 'All I Have to Do Is Dream' hits #1 for the first of five weeks.
1958: The movie, 'Let's Rock,' with Paul Anka, Danny and the Juniors and The Royal Teens, opens.
1958: Link Wray's guitar instrumental 'Rumble' first appears on the Billboard Top 100 chart at #81. Even though it has no lyrics what so ever, the song was banned by many US radio stations who feared the title would promote teen violence. Despite the boycott, the song would still rise to #16 and sell over a million copies.
1960: 'Frank Sinatra's Welcome Home Party For Elvis Presley' is broadcast on ABC-TV. For a fee of $125,000, Elvis sang his most current releases, 'Stuck On You' and 'Fame And Fortune.' The famous singers both perform a medley of 'Love Me Tender' and 'Witchcraft' together. The show marked Presley's last TV appearance for eight years.
1961: The Beatles in Hamburg, West Germany, signed a recording contract with producer Bert Kaempfert. That evening they played at The Top Ten Club in Reeperbahn, Hamburg.
1962: Billboard magazine reports that last year's most-played jukebox record was 'Big Bad John' by Jimmy Dean. The second most-played was Chubby Checker's 'The Twist.'
1963: When CBS censors tell him he cannot perform his 'Talking John Birch Society Blues,' Bob Dylan walks out of dress rehearsals for The Ed Sullivan Show. When told the tune may be libelous, Dylan refuses to appear on the show.
1964: The Beach Boys started a four week run at the top of the Billboard album chart with a 'live' LP called 'Beach Boys Concert,' the group's first US #1.
1965: The Rolling Stones re-record 'Satisfaction' at RCA Studios in Hollywood, with a different beat and the Gibson Maestro fuzzbox adding sustain to the sound of the guitar riff. Two days earlier the band recorded the song at Chess Studios in Chicago. The song will top the Hot 100 for four straight weeks in July. Mick Jagger would later say "It was the song that really made The Rolling Stones, changed us from just another band into a huge, monster band."
1967: Pink Floyd played London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, one of their first concerts experimenting with quadraphonic sound. This was reportedly the first show to include loudspeakers placed at the back of the hall to give a 'sound in the round', ie quadraphonic, effect. The sound system, developed by EMI technicians, was stolen after the show and not recovered for some years. Adding to the otherworldly experience, Roger Waters throws potatoes at a gong, Nick Mason mic’s up a saw to cut through a log, Simon Wright creates huge soap bubbles to waft over the crowd, and the band’s roadies toss daffodils into the crowd.
1967: A British radio station debuts The Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper' album in its entirety.
1967: Procol Harum's 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' b/w 'Lime Street Blues' 45 single is released in the UK. It was the debut song by the British band Procol Harum, and reached #1 in the UK Singles Chart on June 8, 1967, and stayed there for six weeks. Without much promotion, it reached #5 on the US charts, as well. It is one of the fewer than 30 all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) copies worldwide. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' at #57 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
1967: 'Are You Experienced', the debut album by Jimi Hendrix was released in the UK. It was in August of 1967 in the U.S. It reached #2 on the UK Albums chart. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #15 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2005 Are You Experienced was selected for permanent preservation in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress in the United States. Hendrix also played a gig at the Bluesville Club, Manor House in London on this day.
1968: Jimi Hendrix was arrested by police on his way to Toronto for possession of hashish and heroin. Hendrix claimed the drugs had been planted on him.
1968: Brian Jones makes his final live appearance with The Rolling Stones when they appear at the New Musical Express Poll Winners Concert at the Empire Pool in Wembley, England.
1969: Martin Lamble, drummer for Fairport Convention, dies at age 19 when the band's van crashes on the way home from a gig in Birmingham, England. Bandmate Richard Thompson's girlfriend, Jeannie Franklyn, is also killed.
1969: Pink Floyd appear at the Paris Cinema, Lower Regent Street in London.
1971: Mick Jagger marries Nicaraguan fashion model Bianca Perez Morena de Macias in St. Tropez, France. The guest list includes the other members of the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and Stephen Stills. The couple separated in 1977.
1971: Jerry Lee Lewis is granted a divorce from Myra Gale Brown, who was the daughter of his bass-player cousin. She was just 13 when they wed.
1972: The Rolling Stones released their 10th British and 12th American studio album, 'Exile on Main St.' It topped the Billboard 200 Top LP's & Tape charts for four weeks, and topped the UK Top 75 Albums chart. In 2003, the album was ranked #7 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
1972: David Bowie played at Polytechnic of Central London.
1973: The Mothers of Invention performed at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
1973: Led Zeppelin started a three week run at #1 on the US album chart with 'Houses Of The Holy', the group's third US #1. It went on to spend 39 weeks on the US chart. Houses Of The Holy has now been certified 11 times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for US sales in excess of 11 million copies.
1974: The Kinks performed at Robertson Gym on the University of California in Santa Barbara campus.
1975: Jefferson Starship give a free concert in New York's Central Park in front of 60,000 fans. The band and concert sponsor, WNEW-FM, pay $14,000 for clean-up and damage done to the park.
1975: Steely Dan earns a gold record for their 'Katy Lied' album.
1975: Genesis appeared at Rhein am Main Halle in Wiesbaden, Germany.
1976: The Rolling Stones performed at the Apollo Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland.
1977: Led Zeppelin received the outstanding contribution to British music at the second Ivor Novello Awards held at the Grosvenor Hotel in London.
1977: After being dropped by both EMI and A&M records in less than 6 months, Richard Branson's Virgin records announced they had signed The Sex Pistols for £15,000 ($28,000). "I've always liked Richard Branson because, pompous rich t--t that he is, he has a great sense of rebelliousness," lead singer Johnny Rotten says.
1979: Judas Priest released the single, 'Evening Star.' It reached #53 on the UK Official Charts.
1979: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes April Wine’s 'Roller' at #85, The Police’s 'Roxanne' at #78, Van Halen’s 'Dance The Night Away' at #48, The Cars’ 'Good Times Roll' at #41, Bob Seger’s 'Old Time Rock And Roll' at #32, Bad Company’s 'Rock N’ Roll Fantasy' at #23, and Styx’s 'Renegade' at #21. ‬
1979: The new Jefferson Starship, with Mickey Thomas replacing Grace Slick as lead vocalist, debuted at a free concert in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Thomas had been the lead singer on Elvin Bishop's 1976 hit 'Fooled Around and Fell in Love.'
1979: The Who played at Arenes de Frejus in Cannes, France.
1980: The Who are on the cover of People magazine
1980: Linda Ronstadt earns a gold record for 'Mad Love' which contains three Elvis Costello tunes.
1981: The Who's first album without Keith Moon, 'Face Dances' goes Gold. It is considered a disappointment even to the band itself. The L.P. makes it to #4 but offers just one hit single, 'You Better You Bet' (#18).
1981: X release their 2nd album, 'Wild Gift.' It reached #165 on the Billboard 200 To Albums chart. In 2003, the album was ranked #334 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
1981: Debbie Harry announces that she's going to record a solo album, while continuing to work with Blondie.
1981: Van Halen kicked off their 82 date North American Fair Warning Tour at the Halifax Metro Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1983: Meat Loaf filed for bankruptcy, even though his 'Bat Out of Hell' L.P. sold millions of copies in the late 1970s. Later, 'Back Into Hell' would bring him back to the charts with the hit single, 'I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That).' At the time of his bankruptcy, Meat Loaf's latest album "Midnight at the Lost and Found" was sitting at number 7, but the album's single, 'If You Really Want To' stalled at #59.
1983: ZZ Top played at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Mississippi.
1984: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes Mike Reno & Ann Wilson’s 'Almost Paradise' at #65 (debut), Billy Idol’s 'Eyes Without A Face' at #48, Scorpions’ 'Rock You Like A Hurricane' at #29, Van Halen’s 'I’ll Wait' at #22, Night Ranger’s 'Sister Christian' at #17 & 'Hello' by Lionel Richie was #1. ‬
1985: Phil Collins kicked off the North American leg on his 'No Jacket Required' World Tour at the Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts.
1986: Joe Strummer of The Clash was banned from driving after being convicted of drink driving.
1986: Rage released their debut full-length album, 'Reign of Fear.'
1987: All 40-thousand tickets for three Pink Floyd concerts in Montreal sold out in 4½ hours. Residents around the Montreal Forum complained that police failed to protect their property from rowdy fans.
1988: Megadeth released their single 'Mary Jane.' It tells the story of a young witch buried alive by her father near the Loon Lake cemetery in Minnesota. According to legend, anyone who dared to disturb her grave was doomed to death.
1989: Morbid Angel released their debut album, 'Altars of Madness.'
1990. Thunder peak at #25 on the UK charts with 'Backstreet Symphony.'
1990: Former Eagles Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Timothy B. Schmit played together at a Los Angeles convention.
1992: The Black Crowes release their 2nd album, 'The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion.' It hit #1 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart. It features four hit singles; 'Remedy' (#1 on the Album Rock Tracks chart for 11 weeks), 'Thorn in My Pride' (#1 on the Album Rock Tracks chart for four weeks), 'Sting Me' (#1 on the Album Rock Tracks chart for two weeks), and 'Hotel Illness' (#1 on the Album Rock Tracks chart for six weeks). It was a record for an album to feature four album rock #1 hits (previously set by Tom Petty in 1989, with three).
1992: The rumor mill is in full swing. It's so bad that Judas Priest's Rod Halford holds a press conference in L.A. to deny reports that he is HIV positive or has AIDS.
1994: Motley Crue released their single, 'Misunderstood,' featuring John Corabi on vocals.
1995: Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose filed a restraining order against Karen McNeil in Los Angeles Superior Court. McNeil was charged with trespassing at his Malibu home two weeks earlier on April 27th.
1996: 17-year-old Bernadette O'Brien died the day after being injured 'body surfing' at a Smashing Pumpkins gig at The Point, Dublin.
1997: Paul McCartney's 10th solo album, 'Flaming Pie' is released. It reached #2 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums, and #2 on the UK Albums chart. The singles 'Young Boy,' 'The World Tonight' and 'Beautiful Night' became UK hits, all making the top 40 in the sales charts. The only single in the US from the album was 'The World Tonight,' a top 30 entry on the Billboard mainstream rock listing. It received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year, although Bob Dylan won the award with his back-to-form album 'Time Out of Mind.'
1998: Lenny Kravitz releases his '5' album.
1998: British media reported that Elton John had split with his manager of 30 years, John Reid. Reports said the two had argued over John's career and financial matters.
2000: Following the launch of Metallica's legal case against the popular online file-sharing service Napster, Chuck D of Public Enemy and Lars Ulrich of Metallica appear on The Charlie Rose Show, where they debate whether MP3 downloading is a vehicle for piracy or a return of power to the people.
2000: Thieves stole the gates to Liverpool, England’s Strawberry Fields. The children’s home inspired the John Lennon song. The gates were later turned in to the police by a scrap dealer.
2001: File this under strange but true: After 27 years as a fugitive from a New Jersey prison, convicted child-killer Edward Solly is arrested in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he has been masquerading as long-dead Sha Na Na guitarist Vinnie Taylor, complete with a website and nightclub act.
2002: NirvanaClub.com posted four clips of the unreleased song 'You Know You’re Right' online.
2003: Helloween released their 10th studio album, 'Rabbit Don't Come Easy.'
2004: U2's Bono visits Prime Minister Paul Martin to applaud Canada's funding to battle AIDS.
2006: Guns N’ Roses played a gig at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. The first of four shows featured six new songs from the long-awaited 'Chinese Democracy' album. It's guitarist Ron Thal's (aka Bumblefoot) debut with the group. He replaces Buckethead who left in 2004.
2006: Metallica's James Hetfield is honored at the second annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert in Hollywood. He receives the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award for his "devotion to helping other addicts with the recovery process."
2006: Former Eagles guitarist Don Felder, the Romantics, Eddie Money and War perform at a fund-raider for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Proceeds from the 'No Speeches, No Tuxes. .. It's Only Rock and Roll' go toward the facility's education programs.
2007: The documentary 'Born In The Basement,' about the birth of the band Overkill and thrash metal was released. It was produced by their former drummer Rat Skates.
2007: The Edge receives an honorary doctor of music degree from Boston's Berklee College of Music. He's acknowledged "for enduring contributions to American and international culture."
2007: Trouble released their 7th studio album, 'Simple Mind Condition'
2007: The second annual VH1 Rock Honors in Las Vegas pays tribute ZZ Top, Heart, Ozzy Osbourne and Genesis. The ceremony features spoken-word and film presentations. Alice In Chains, Queens Of The Stone Age and Nickelback perform.
2008: Neil Young had a spider named after him. US university biologist Jason Bond discovered a new species of trapdoor spider and decided to name it after his favourite musician. Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi was found in Jefferson County, Alabama, in 2007.
2008: Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland enters a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department jail to begin serving his sentence for a DUI conviction stemming from an arrest the previous November. He's in custody for 10 hours but only sends 14 minutes behind bars before he's released.
2008: In preparation for 'Death Magnetic,' their new album, Metallica launch their Website Mission: Metallica (http://www.missionmetallica.com).
2008: Paul McCartney was granted a divorce from his second wife, Heather Mills. The settlement gave her a lump sum of 16.5 million pounds, together with assets of 7.8 million pounds, which included the properties she owned at the time. Paul was later quoted as saying "There'll be no more nagging, no more chaos, no more Heather... bliss. I have peace at last".
2008: ‎Iron Maiden‬ released the Greatest Hits album 'Somewhere Back In Time - The Best Of: 1980 - 1989.'
2009: 'John Lennon: The New York Years' opens at New York's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC. The Lennon-themed exhibit, created by his widow, Yoko Ono, benefits the Spirit Foundation, a charity begun by Lennon and Ono.
2009: Better Than Ezra release their album 'Paper Empire.'
2010: Godsmack's 'The Oracle' hits #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 117,000 copies in the first week of its release. It's the band's third #1 album. The single 'Cryin' Like A Bitch,' also lands at #1 on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart.
2011: The three surviving members of Pink Floyd perform together for the first time since 2005's Live 8 concert (and for only the second time in 30 years). David Gilmour and Nick Mason join Roger Waters during the latter's show at the O2 arena.
2011: The video for Steven Tyler's solo single "(It) Feels So Good," premieres on American Idol. The Aerosmith frontman is also an American Idol judge.
2011: The Monkees, minus Mike Nesmith, embark on a 45th Anniversary Tour with a date at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. It's the group's fourth reunion tour, as Davy Jones dies in 2012.
2012: The Eagles are presented with an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music by College President Roger Brown at the school's commencement ceremony at Boston University's Agganis Arena.
1969: Poco released their debut album,
2012: Kid Rock teams up with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at Fox Theatre for a fundraising concert to benefit the orchestra. "As a musician, and of course a Detroiter, I am proud to be supporting this longstanding cultural institution," says Kid Rock. The performance raises over $1 million.
2013: After the Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield records the David Bowie song 'Space Oddity' on board the International Space Station, his sublime rendition is posted to YouTube, quickly garnering millions of views.
2014: Ozzy Osbourne and Slash perform at the 10th anniversary MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert at Club Nokia in L. A. Joe Walsh presents the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award to Osbourne for his support of the MusiCares MAP Fund which helps musicians battle their addictions.
2014: Neil Young, with help from Jack White, sends a cover of Willie Nelson's 'Crazy' (famously recorded by Patsy Cline) straight to vinyl during an appearance on The Tonight Show. Young uses White's refurbished '40s-era Voice-o-Graph recording booth. The vinyl is played at the end of the salbum,
2014: Dio released their 7th live album, 'Live In London, Hammersmith Apollo 1993.'
2015: Duff McKagan publishes 'How To Be A Man (And Other Illusions)' along with a companion EP featuring Izzy Stradlin and Jerry Cantrell.
2016: Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple/Black Sabbath) and Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) are honored by Adopt The Arts at the Fonda Theatre in L.A. Adopt The Arts is raising awareness and money to keep arts education in public schools.
2017: Former KISS drummer Peter Criss plays a farewell show in Melbourne, Australia.
2017: Kobra And The Lotus released their album 'Prevail.'
2017: Warrant released their 'Louder Harder Faster' album. It was the 2nd album to feature Robert Mason on vocals.
2017: Inglorious released their 2nd album, 'Inglorious II.'
2017: Killswitch Engage launch Alive Or Just Brewing beer in select markets to mark the 15th anniversary of the group’s landmark Metalcore album, 'Alive Or Just Breathing.'

May 13
1955: Elvis Presley's performance in Jacksonville, Florida is the first Presley show at which a riot ensues. After Elvis tells the audience, "Girls, I'll see you backstage," he has some of his clothes ripped off, but escapes unharmed.
1957: Elvis Presley begins filming his third movie, 'Jailhouse Rock,' in Hollywood.
1958: Six months after marrying his third wife, 13-year-old second cousin Myra Gale Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis is finally granted a divorce from his second wife, Jane Mitcham.
1965: Elvis Presley's sixteenth movie, 'Tickle Me,' premieres in Hollywood. It opens nationally two weeks later.
1966: The Rolling Stones release 'Paint It Black,', one of the first Rock records to use a sitar. The single will hit #1 in both the UK and the US.
1966: The Kinks recorded 'Sunny Afternoon' at Pye Studios in London. The song went on to reach #1 in the U.K. & #14 in the U.S.
1967: Ray Davies announced in British magazine New Musical Express that he was leaving The Kinks to focus on writing and producing. Three days later Davies changed his mind about leaving.
1967: The Monkees 2nd album 'More Of The Monkees,' went to #1 on the charts. In 1967 only four albums reached #1; 'The Sound Of Music' which spent 17 weeks at #1, The Beatles 'Sgt Pepper's,' 25 weeks at #1 and The Monkees' first and second albums spent 9 weeks at #1.
1967: The Who played at the Shoreline Hotel in Bognor Regis in West Sussex, England.
1967: Pink Floyd performed at St. George”s Ballroom in Hinckley, Leicestershire, England.
1967: Scott McKenzie's 'San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)' bw 'What's The Difference' 45 single was released. The song was written by John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas, and it reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for 4 weeks. It rose to #1 in the UK, and most of Europe. It is purported to have sold 7 million copies worldwide.
1968: Frank Zappa released his debut solo album, 'Lumpy Gravy.' It was recorded with the Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra. Released on August 7, 1967 on Capitol Records (on STEREO 4-track tape cartridge only), it was subsequently reedited and reissued by Verve Records on May 13, 1968, and later reissued independently by Zappa.
1968: John Lennon and Paul McCartney gave a series of interviews to help launch Apple Corps in the US.
1968: Beatles shock Britain as they refuse invitation to play for the Queen at London Palladium.
1969: The Beatles pose for the photo that becomes the cover of their 'The Beatles 1967-1970' compilation, recreating the cover of their first album, 'Please Please Me,' now with far more hair on their heads and faces.
1969: Led Zeppelin became the first major British rock group to appear in Hawaii, when they appeared at The Civic Auditorium in Honolulu. A review in the Honolulu Advertiser stated: “The showmanship exceeded any rock performance here to date. I wondered before the concert if Led Zeppelin could sound as good as their Atlantic album – they sounded better.”
1970: The world premiere of The Beatles film 'Let It Be' took place in New York City. The film which was originally planned as a television documentary features an unannounced rooftop concert by the group, their last performance in public. Released just after the album, it was the final original Beatles release.
1970: Badfinger records 'No Matter What,' which will reach #8 in the US and #5 in the UK near the end of the year.
1971: Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane crashed her Mercedes into a wall near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and was hospitalized
1971: The Allman Brothers Band appeared at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, Tennessee.
1972: David Bowie performed at Technical College in Slough, Berkshire, England.
1973: The Grateful Dead played at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa.
1973: Led Zeppelin performed at Mobile Municipal Auditorium in Mobile, Alabama.
1973: The movie 'That'll Be The Day,' starring David Essex, Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, Billy Fury and John Hawken of The Nashville Teens opens in the UK.
1975: A radio station in Jacksonville, Florida knocks out the city's phone service giving away tickets to Elvis Presley's concert.
1975: Yes played at the Gaumont Theatre in Southampton, England.
1976: Kiss played the first UK date on their current 'Alive' World Tour at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England. They then head to France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and Germany. Scorpions opened selected dates. ‬
1976: David Bowie performs at Ahoy Sports Stadium in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
1977: Linda Ronstadt indirectly declines an offer placed in Hustler magazine, promising a million dollars to any of ten female celebrities (including Ronstadt) willing to pose for a nude photo shoot.
1977: EMI in Britain and Capitol Records in the US release 'The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl,' an album made from live recordings of the Beatles' American tours of 1964 and 1965.
1977: Roger Daltrey released his 3rd studio solo album, 'One of the Boys.'
1978: Aerosmith appeared at the BJCC Arena, Birmingham, Alabama.
1978: Jimmy Buffett appears on Saturday Night Live singing 'Son of a Sailor.'
1978: Jefferson Starship peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 Single Chart with 'Count on Me,' which was their 2nd top 10 single as Jefferson Starship in the U.S.
1979: Donny & Marie Osmond's 'A Little Bit Of Country, A Little Bit Of Rock 'n' Roll' special on ABC-TV includes guests Chuck Berry and Chubby Checker.
1980: Rush played at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
1983: Def Leppard appeared at The Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi on their 'Pyromania' World tour.
1984: Van Halen performed at The Forum in Inglewood, California.
1985: Tipper Gore infamously creates the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) after hearing her daughter listening to the Prince song 'Darling Nikki.' The four member group of politically connected wives pressure the RIAA to put warning stickers on albums with offensive lyrics. In testimony before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Dee Snider, Frank Zappa and John Denver oppose this form of censorship. They lose, but the stickers on albums actually increase sales.
1985: Bruce Springsteen marries actress Julianne Phillips in a ceremony presided over by Little Richard in Lake Oswego, Oregon. The couple divorces three years later.
1985: Dire Straits released their 5th studio album, 'Brothers in Arms.' It reached #1 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart & selling nine million copies in the U.S.
1985: Magnum released their 5th studio album, 'On a Storyteller's Night.'
1986: Ted Nugent appears on Dr. Ruth Westheimer's TV show and tells the audience "Life is one big female safari and Dr. Ruth is my guide."
1987: U2 played the third of a five night run at Brenden Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
1988: Iron Maiden's 'Seventh Tour Of A Seventh Tour' kicks off in Moncton, Canada.
1989: Bon Jovi went to #1 on the US singles chart with 'I'll Be There For You', the group's 4th and last #1 in the US. It spent one week on top of the chart.
1989. Billboard’s Hot 100 includes Great White’s 'Once Bitten Twice Shy' at #94 (debut), Poison’s 'Your Mama Don’t Dance' at #65, Cinderella’s 'Coming Home' at #43, Def Leppard’s at 'Rocket' #34, Winger’s 'Seventeen' at #27, Lita/Ozzy’s Close My Eyes Forever' at #20, and Guns N’ Roses’ 'Patience' at #9. ‬
1989: Simple Minds went to #1 on the UK album chart with 'Street Fighting Years,' their 4th #1 album. The album featured 'Mandela Day', 'Belfast Child' and 'Biko.'
1993: The Red Hot Chilli Peppers make an appearance on the Simpsons.
1996: Oasis became the fastest selling group in UK history after all 330,000 tickets for their summer shows sold out in just nine hours, the tickets for shows at Knebworth and Loch Lomand were priced at £22.50.
2002: Eddie Money appears on the CBS sitcom 'The King of Queens' in the aptly titled episode "Eddie Money."
2002: Rage released their 15th studio album, 'Unity.'
2003: The estate of late Who bassist John Entwistle is auctioned off. Stage clothes, guitars and a stuffed shark are among the items.
2003: Staind release their '14 Shades Of Grey' album.
2003: Marilyn Manson's 'The Golden Age Of Grotesque' album is released.
2003: Cold release their 'Year Of The Spider' album.
2003: Tommy Chong of Cheech & Chong pleads guilty to selling drug paraphernalia over the Internet.
2004: Kiss’ Gene Simmons came under fire from the Australian Muslim community after he branded the Islamic culture “vile” in a Melbourne radio interview. Stating the western world is under threat from extremists and a culture that treats women worse than dogs, he dismisses the Arab world as "God's armpit." Simmons would later state that his comment was taken out of context.
2004: Paul McCartney's rehearsals at London's Millennium Dome for an upcoming tour causes nearby residents to complain to authorities. Local officials promise to monitor noise levels.
2004: Courtney Love pleads innocent to assault charges stemming from an incident in which she allegedly struck a man in the head with a microphone stand at a New York show the previous March. After entering her plea Love conducts an impromptu press conference inside the women's bathroom.
2004: Velvet Revolver kick off their first North American tour in Kansas City, MO.
2006: Godsmack were at #1 on the US album chart with ‘IV’ the American heavy metal bands second #1 album.
2006: Cheap Trick perform on the infield of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the first day of qualifying to determine pole position for Indy 500.
2007: Brian May was under 24-hour security watch after a deranged man announced he was setting off to murder him - then disappeared. Police were hunting for a schizophrenic who left a letter behind at his home blaming the Queen guitarist for his illness. In it the man said May was an "impostor" and that HE was the real rock star. He signed the letter "Brian May."
2008: Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland is released from a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department jail facility only 10 hours after checking himself in to begin serving his sentence for a DUI bust the previous November. After being booked, Weiland spends a 14 minutes in an actual cell before being set free.
2008: Yes frontman Jon Anderson is hospitalized after experiencing a serious asthma attack.
2008: The Turtles' Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, better known as "Flo and Eddie," sue Capitol Records for allowing Ice Cube to sample the group's 1972 song 'Buzzsaw' for Cube's 1992 hit 'Jackin' For Beats.'
2008: Filter release 'Anthems For The Damned.' "It's safe to say that Filter's back," says frontman Richard Patrick. The group's last album, 'The Amalgamut,' came out in 2002.
2008: Death Cab For Cutie issue their 6th studio album, 'Narrow Stairs.' 'I Will Possess Your Heart' is the first single.
2008: KoRn's 'Live At Montreux' 2004 DVD is in stores. The group's original line-up performs 17 songs.
2008: Bryan Adams' '11' (his eleventh album) is released in the U.S. It's available exclusively at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores nationwide.
2008: Dokken released their 10th studio album, 'Lightning Strikes Again.' It was their last to feature bassist Barry Sparks.
2009: Alice Cooper performs 'School's Out' at Arizona State University's commencement ceremonies in Tempe. President Barack Obama is the guest speaker. "Of all the people I've ever shared a stage with, Obama is the biggest Rock star," quips Cooper, who is a well-known Republican.
2009: 'American David,' Bono's ode to Elvis Presley, premieres on British radio. Prior to the piece, the station airs a message warning of potentially objectionable content. The 14-minute poem was written in 1995 and recorded during an 2007 radio interview.
2010: 'The Rolling Stones: Against The Wall,' a London exhibition of photographs of the Rolling Stones, some not made public before, opens in London. It shows the work of photographers David Montgomery, Roberto Rabanne and Bob Gruen is shown.
2010: Bruce Springsteen is a surprise guest at the 21st annual Rainforest Foundation benefit concert at Carnegie Hall. Springsteen performs 'Dancing In The Dark' at the fund-raiser hosted by Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler.
2011: Godsmack frotnman Sully Erna launches a tour to promote his debut solo album, 'Avalon.'
2011: 'Like A Rolling Stone' was voted as Bob Dylan's best-ever song by Rolling Stone Magazine, who had asked the opinions of a panel of writers, academics and musicians to compile a poll to mark Dylan's 70th birthday on May 24. 'Like A Rolling Stone', was described by U2's Bono as "a black eye of a pop song," while Mick Jagger praised the simplicity of Desolation Row. Keith Richards argued that the original 1963 solo version of 'Girl From The North Country,' ranked 30th, was superior to Dylan's 1969 duet of the same song with Johnny Cash.
2011: Jack Richardson (producer of Guess Who, Bob Seger) dies at age 81.
2012: Donald “Duck” Dunn, bassist with Booker T and the MG’s, dies in his sleep in Tokyo. He was 70. He was in the country touring with Steve Cropper and Eddie Floyd. Dunn was nicknamed “Duck” while watching cartoons with his father and played on thousands of recordings while signed to Stax Records. H was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. Dunn was featured in the Blue Brothers movie as himself where he famously declared, “We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline!”
2013: The sale of Iron Maiden's Trooper beer is halted in Sweden by the country's state-run liquor store monopoly due to legal concerns over the image of the band's mascot, Eddie, on the label. The alcohol law stipulates how the label can look.
2013: Puddle Of Mudd frontman Wes Scantlin is arrested in L.A. on domestic violence charges. He allegedly "roughed up his ex-wife in front of several witnesses."
2013: Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith teams up with MusicRadar.com to kick off a podcast entitled In Conversation with Chad Smith. Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson is the first guest.
2013: Creed is named the worst band of the '90s by the readers of Rolling Stone magazine. The Scott Stapp fronted group beats Nickelback, Limp Bizkit and Hanson for the dubious honor.
2015: Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler debuts his Country solo single, 'Love Is Your Name,' on the season 14 finale of American Idol.
2015: Roger Daltrey threatens to end The Who's concert at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island due to fans smoking marijuana near the stage. Daltrey is reportedly allergic to pot and it has an "almost immediate (impact) on his voice."
2017: Axl Rose joins Billy Joel at his concert in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium for 'Big Shot' and AC/DC's 'Highwayto Hell.'

May 14
1955: Bo Diddley's 'Bo Diddley' backed with 'I'm A Man' land on the R&B charts. Both songs are later covered in the '60s by British groups.
1956: Buddy Holly is fitted with contact lenses for his 20/800 eyes by Lubbock optometrist Dr. J. Davis Armistead. Although they cost him $125, Holly can't get used to them and will revert to his trademark glasses.
1957: Elvis Presley swallows his own porcelain tooth cap, which lodges in one of his lungs, causing him to be rushed to the hospital in Los Angeles. The cap is lodged in a lung and Presley has to stay overnight to get it removed.
1960: The Silver Beats (John Lennon, Paul McCartney George Harrison, Stu Sutcliffe, and Tommy Moore) performed at Lathom Hall, Seaforth, Liverpool. They played a few songs during the "interval" to audition for promoter Brian Kelly. Also appearing are Cliff Roberts & the Rockers, The Deltones, and Kingsize Taylor & the Dominoes. This is the only occasion on which the group uses the name "Silver Beats," quickly changing it back to "Silver Beetles."
1964: Jan And Dean record 'Little Old Lady From Pasadena,' which will enter the Billboard Pop chart in July and top out at #3 by the first of August.
1965: San Francisco radio station KYA hosts the Rolling Stones, the Byrds, Beau Brummels, Paul Revere & the Raiders, and the Vejtables at the Civic Auditorium.
1965: Donovan's debut album, 'What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid' is released in the UK four days after his 19th birthday. It was released in the US as 'Catch the Wind' on Hickory Records in June 1965.
1965: The Who appeared at Civic Hall in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England.
1966: The Who played at Palais in Bury, Manchester, England.
1966: The Rolling Stones' 'Big Hits (High Tides And Green Grass)' is released. The album sells over two-million copies.
1966: The Kingsmen's 'Louie Louie' enters the Billboard Hot 100 for the ninth time. This time it only stayed on the charts for two weeks, going to #97. When it was first released in 1963, it made it to #2 during a thirteen week run.
1967: Jimi Hendrix played at the Elizabethan Ballroom in Manchester, England.
1967: Pink Floyd played 'Pow R Toc H' and 'Astronomy Domine' live on the arts program The Look of the Week broadcast by BBC2 television. Syd Barrett and Roger Waters were interviewed by classic music critic Hans Keller. Below is video from that appearance.
1968: John Lennon and Paul McCartney appear on NBC-TV's Tonight Show with guest-host Joe Garagiola sitting in for Johnny Carson. The conversation included some light hearted banter about meditation, the forming of Apple Corps. and song writing. They mention that they just returned from India for meditation and that The Beatles would begin recording The White Album when they returned to the U.K.
1968: The Rascals record 'People Got To Be Free,' a song written by the group because of the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy. It will become their fourth and final million-selling single.
1968: Cream performed at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Columbus, Ohio.
1969: Neil Young's 'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere' album is released. It's his first album with backing band Crazy Horse. The songs 'Cinnamon Girl,' 'Down by the River' and 'Cowgirl in the Sand' were written when Young had a 103 degree fever. It reached #34 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart.
1969: King Crimson performed at the Revolution Club, London, while Yes appeared at the Marquee Club.
1969: During a UK tour, Fairport Conventions van crashed on the M1 motorway on the way home from a gig in Birmingham killing the group's 19 year-old drummer Martin Lamble and Richard Thompson's girlfriend Jeannie Franklyn.
1970: The Grateful Dead played at Merramac Community College in Kirkwood, Missouri.
1971: The Allman Brothers Band played The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1971: Pink Floyd's 'Relics' album is released in the UK (July 15, 1971 in the US). ?the compilation album reached #152 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart, and #32 on the UK Albums chart. The release of 'Relics' was sparked by the success of 'Atom Heart Mother' which peaked at #1 on the British charts.
1972: Rory Gallagher released his 3rd album, 'Live in Europe.'
1973: Led Zeppelin performed at the Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans.
1974: Another Grateful Dead show at a college venue. This time at Adams Field House at the University of Montana in Missoula.
1975: Yes appeared at the Gaumont Theatre in Southampton, England.
1976: The Rolling Stones played at Granby Halls in Leicester, England.
1976: Keith Relf, former lead singer for The Yardbirds, was electrocuted while tuning a guitar which was not properly grounded. The accident happened in his West London home where he was found by his eight year old son, still holding the plugged-in electric guitar. Though the shock was probably not enough to kill under usual circumstances, Relf had been ill at the time and it proved to be too much. He was just 33.
1977: The Talking Heads headline at London's Rock Garden. In the audience is Brian Eno who later produces several of the group's albums and contributes material.
1977: The Eagles’ 'Hotel California' enters it’s last week at #1 on the US album charts. It held the top spot for five weeks in the spring of 1977, and on two occasions earlier in the year.
1977: Heart's 3rd studio album, 'Little Queen' is released. It went on to peak at #9 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart & sell three million copies in the U.S.
1980: Black Sabbath performed at the Apollo Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland.
1982: The Clash's released their 5th studio album, 'Combat Rock.' It reached #7 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart, and #2 on the UK Albums chart.
1983: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes Duran Duran’s 'Hungry Like The Wolf' at #42, Journey’s 'Seperate Ways (Worlds Apart)' at #29, Def Leppard’s 'Photograph' at #13, The Greg Kihn Band’s 'Jeopardy' at #3, and David Bowie’s 'Let’s Dance' at #2.
1984: The 'Chicago 17' album is released. It was the 15th studio album, and 17th album overall. It reached #4 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart.
1986: Prince joins the Bangles on stage in San Francisco to perform 'Manic Monday' (which Prince wrote) and Jerry Lee Lewis' '50's classic, 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On.'
1987: Mötley Crüe hold a listening party for their album 'Girls, Girls, Girls' at a strip club in Hollywood called The Body Shop. They are quite familiar with the venue, which is mentioned in the title track.
1988: Atlantic Records celebrates its 40th anniversary with a star-studded bash at New York's Madison Square Garden. The show features reunions of Led Zeppelin, The Bee Gees, The Rascals, Genesis, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Wilson Pickett, The Coasters, Yes, Foreigner, and many others. A re-united Led Zeppelin hits the stage with Jason Bonham filling in for his late father John.
1988: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes Def Leppard’s 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' at #48, Poison’s 'Nothin’ But A Good Time' at #45, Cheap Trick’s 'The Flame' at #42, Lita Ford’s 'Kiss Me Deadly' at #35, Rick Astley’s 'Together Forever' at #17, White Lion’s 'Wait' at #12, and Aerosmith’s 'Angel' at #7. ‬
1991: Primus' major label debut 'Sailing the Seas of Cheese,' is released. The album features 'Jerry Was a Race Car Driver,' 'Tommy the Cat,' and'"Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers.'
1991: Armored Saint released their album, 'Symbol Of Salvation.' The songs on this album were written and demoed between 1988 and 1990 with original guitarist Dave Prichard.
1993: The acoustic guitar that Elvis Presley used to make his first recordings, 'That's All Right Mama' and 'Blue Moon of Kentucky' in 1954, sold for $152,000 at an auction in London, England.
1993: The US tabloid Weekly World News claims that Elvis Presley has only recently died.
1993: During an auction at Christies in London the acoustic guitar that Elvis Presley used to make his first recordings in 1954, 'That's All Right Mama' and 'Blue Moon of Kentucky', sold for £130,285, ($152,000). And four 'Super Hero', Costumes worn by the group KISS sold for £20,000, ($35,385).
1995: The Rolling Stones sold out two New York-area stadium shows in 81 minutes, an average of 1400 tickets every 60 seconds.
1996: Def Leppard release their 6th studio album 'Slang.'
1997: Bruce Dickinson released his 4th solo album, 'Accident of Birth.'
2001: Scorpions release their unplugged album 'Acoustica.'
2002: Rush release their 17th studio album, 'Vapor Trails.' It reaches #6 on Billboard's 200 album chart. ‬
2002: Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Little Richard were presented with the Icon Award as part of the 50th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.
2002: The musical 'We Will Rock You' opened in the West End of London, England at the Dominion Theatre. The musical was written by British comedian and author Ben Elton in collaboration with Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor. The musical tells the story of a group of Bohemians who struggle to restore the free exchange of thought, fashion, and live music in a distant future where everyone dresses, thinks and does the same. Musical instruments and composers are forbidden, and rock music is all but unknown. WWRY has since become the longest-running musical at the Dominion Theatre.
2004: Mike McCready performs at a concert to benefit the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America in Seattle. The Pearl Jam guitarist suffers from Crohn's disease.
2004: Legendary record producer Phil Spector, who is awaiting trial on a murder charge, is arrested after getting into a scuffle with his chauffeur. Both are charged with misdemeanor battery resulting from a dispute over their business relationship. Police arrive to find them attempting to place each other under citizen's arrest.
2004: Steven Tyler fulfills a terminally ill female fan's wish when he gives her a kiss after Aerosmith's concert in Winnipeg, Canada.
2005: Queens Of The Stone Age guest on Saturday Night Live.
2005: Bruce Springsteen's 'Devils & Dust' is the #1 album on the Billboard charts.
2006: Billy Joel speaks at Syracuse University's commencement ceremony at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. "Do what you love," advises Joel. "Don't (choose a career) for security or status, prestige, money or, for crying out loud, don't do it for somebody else." The previous year, Joel donated more than $300,000 to the institution's music school.
2006: Red Hot Chili Peppers started a two-week run at #1 on the UK album chart with 'Stadium Arcadium,' the band's 9th studio album, also a US chart topper.
2007: Scorpions released their 16th studio album, 'Humanity: Hour I.'
2007: Capitol/EMI announces that Paul McCartney's post-Beatles catalog will be sold digitally.
2007: Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor speaks out against record labels marking up album prices to compensate for declining sales. He says he discovered that NIN's 'Year Zero' had a list price of more than $29 in Australia. "No wonder people steal music," he says.
2007: Linkin Park streams a concert filmed in New York a day before their 'Minutes To Midnight' album is released.
2007: Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor attend the celebration marking the fifth anniversary of the London production of Queen-themed musical 'We Will Rock You.'
2008: Metallica and Scars On Broadway play a benefit concert at the Wiltern theater in L.A for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, a nonprofit music-education school co-founded by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. The gig kicks off a 26-date North American and European Metallica tour.
2009: Linkin Park are in Egypt to shoot the video for 'New Divide.' The clip is directed by Linkin Park's DJ Joseph Hahn.
2009: Ex-KoRn guitarist Brian 'Head' Welch kicks off his debut solo tour in Colorado Springs, CO.
2009: Chickenfoot (Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani and Chad Smith) launch their first-ever North American tour in Seattle.
2010: Kurt Cobain is the inspiration behind an exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum. It consists of works from artists who used Cobain's imagery to capture "the ideals, aspirations and disappointments of the '90s generation."
2010: Pretty Maids released their 12th studio album, 'Pandemonium.'
2012: Australian Guitar magazine names AC/DC's Angus Young the greatest guitar player in Australian music history. Angus' brother, Malcolm, lands at #11.
2012: Queen appear at the 10th anniversary a performance of the musical 'We Will Rock You.' Guitarist Brian May emerges from a trap door to play the guitar solo from 'Bohemian Rhapsody.' Later, drummer Roger Taylor joins May for 'The Show Must Go On.'
2012: Ringo Starr revealed that he has lost his personal Beatle photographs. "I don't know where they are," he said with a sigh. "I wish I did. There's been several moves and things happen."
2013: The Massachusetts Appeals Court reinstated a defamation lawsuit filed by Boston founder Tom Scholz against the ex-wife of the band's late lead singer, Brad Delp. Delp committed suicide in 2007 and Scholz claimed that remarks Micki Delp made to the Boston Herald could be construed as blaming Scholz for his death. Lower courts had ruled that Micki was stating her opinions, and were therefore considered protected speech under the First Amendment. In November, 2015, The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court also ruled against Scholz.
2013: Pop Evil release their 3rd album 'Onyx.'
2013: Judas Priest's film 'Epitaph' is screened in New York and London in advance of the movie's theatrical release two days later.
2013: Five Finger Death Punch issue the single 'Lift Me Up' digitally. The track features Priest frontman Rob Halford. "First and foremost, just to work alongside an icon like Rob Halford, THE Metal God, was absolutely surreal," says Five Finger Death Punch frontman Ivan Moody.
2013: Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) writes an open letter to California Pizza Kitchen's CEO demanding that the restaurant chain stop de-horning baby calves. "I strongly urge you to take immediate action to stop this unspeakable barbarism by requiring your suppliers to phase out dehorning."
2013: It was reported that KISS planned to open over 100 restaurants in North America. The band who had just opened the third branch of Rock & Brews in the greater Los Angeles area said that they wished to open 100 more in the next five years. The band planned to open new branches at LAX airport in Los Angeles, Maui in Hawaii and Kansas City in Missouri over the coming year.
2015: U2 launch their Innocence + Experience Tour in Vancouver. They open with 'The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone).'
2015: Black Sabbath are honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2015 Ivor Novello Awards in London. Ozzy Osbourne misses the event but former drummer Bill Ward reunites with guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler to accept the prize.
2015: The documentary 'Quiet Riot: Well Now You're Here, There's No Way Back,' is screened at the Cannes Film Festival.
2015: Pete Townshend and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder host 'An Evening Celebrating The Who,' a tribute concert in Chicago to benefit Teen Cancer America, which was established in 2012 to replicate the work of the U.K.'s Teenage Cancer Trust.
2015: B.B. King, the best known blues player in the world dies at the age of 89. In a career that spanned over 60 years, he won 15 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Rolling Stone magazine placed him behind only Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman in its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.
2016: Following its inaugural year success, the Northern Invasion expands to two days outside the Twin Cities. Disturbed, Rob Zombie, KoRn, Shinedown and Chevelle perform.
2016: President Barack Obama welcomes the leaders of Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland to the White House. "I do wanna point out that Finland has perhaps the most Heavy Metal bands in the world per capita and also ranks high on good governance," says Obama. "I don't know if there's any correlation there."
2016: Tony Barrow, the Beatles press officer who coined the term "Fab Four," died at his home in Morecambe, England, just three days after his 80th birthday.
2017: Buckcherry announce that guitarist Keith Nelson and drummer Xavier Muriel have exited the band and have been replaced by Kevin Roentgen and Sean Winchester. The news comes on the heels of Buckcherry‘s Josh Todd and Stevie D launch of Josh Todd & The Conflict. 2017: Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne renew their 35-year-old wedding vows. "The best Mother's Day ever," Sharon posts on Facebook following the Las Vegas ceremony.
2017: Alice Cooper is joined by his former bandmates Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith and Michael Bruce for a performance at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall in Nashville.

May 15
1963: The Rolling Stones sign with Decca Records in London
1965: The Byrds debut on the pop charts with their electric cover of Bob Dylan's 'Mr. Tambourine Man.' The single's success prompts Dylan to go electric. The song will climb to #1 by June.
1965: Bob Dylan's single 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' peaked at #39 on the US charts, giving Dylan his first US top 40 hit.
1967: The Jimi Hendrix Experience played two shows in Berlin, West Germany.
1967: Paul McCartney met American photographer Linda Eastman for the first time, during a Georgie Fame concert at the Bag O'Nails nightclub in London. They married on March 12, 1969.
1968: George Harrison and Ringo Starr attended the premiere of 'Wonderwall' at the Cannes Film Festival. The 1968 film by first-time director Joe Massot starred Jack MacGowran and Jane Birkin, and featured cameos by Anita Pallenberg. The soundtrack was composed by then-Beatle George Harrison. The film provides the name for the Oasis track 'Wonderwall', which was inspired by George Harrison's score.
1969: John Lennon's 'Life With The Lions' was released on Apple's avant-garde imprint Zapple. One side of the album was recorded on a cassette player at London's Queen Charlotte Hospital during Yoko Ono's pregnancy which ended in a miscarriage.
1970: King Crimson released their 2nd album, 'In the Wake of Poseidon.' It reached #31 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart.
1971: Pink Floyd play at the Crystal Palace Bowl in London. Performing in front of a large lake, a number of fish are killed by the loud music. Reports varied, but it was caused either by vibrations from the band's estimated 95-decibal sound system or smoke flares set off in the water. The band received a bill for the dead fish.
1971: Two short John Lennon films are shown at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
1971: Crosby Stills Nash & Young scored their second #1 album with '4 Way Street.' The live album featured recordings from shows at The Fillmore East in New York, and The Los Angeles Forum. It reached #1 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart and spent one week on top.
1973: Bob Marley and The Wailers played the first of four sold-out nights at the Speakeasy in London s part of their Catch A Fire Tour.
1974: Frank Zappa and his wife Gail announce the birth of their third child, a boy named Ahmet Rodan Zappa. The lad is named after legendary music executive Ahmet Ertegun and his middle name came from a Japanese monster movie. Ahmet's older brother and sister are Dweezil Zappa and Moon Zappa, and his younger sister is Diva Zappa.
1974: The Rolling Stones’ bassist Bill Wyman released his debut solo album 'Monkey Grip.' Wyman was the first member of the Stones to release a solo album.
1975: Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks play their first concert with Fleetwood Mac in El Paso, TX.
1976: The Rolling Stones went to #1 on the US album chart with 'Black And Blue', the group's 6th US #1 album. It was the band's first studio album released with Ronnie Wood as the replacement for Mick Taylor.
1976: The Steve Miller Band released their 9th studio album 'Fly Like an Eagle,' which went on to reach #3 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart and sell four million copies in the U.S.
1977: Procol Harum played their last ever concert when they appeared at New York's academy of music.
1982: Asia went to #1 on the US album chart with their self-titled album. It spent a total of nine weeks at #1.
1982: After cracking the Billboard Top 40 in 1980 with 'Angel Say No,' the four man Rock group from San Francisco named Tommy Tutone reached #5 with '867-5309 / Jenny.' Lead singer Tommy Heath said that he really does know a girl named Jenny whose parent's phone number was 867-5309. Many folks with that phone number had it changed to avoid prank calls.
1981: The Moody Blues 10th album,'Long Distance Voyager' is released. It topped the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart for three consecutive weeks in the summer of 1981, and #7 on the UK Albums chart. It was the Top 20 singles 'Gemini Dream' (#12) and 'The Voice' (#15).
1981: Squeeze released their 4th studio album, 'East Side Story.' It reached #44 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart, and contains a top 10 UK single, 'Labelled With Love,' and their first US chart hit 'Tempted' (Billboard Hot 100 at #8).
1982: Iron Maiden release the single for 'The Number Of The Beast.'
1982: Five weeks after first appearing on the Billboard Pop chart, 'Ebony and Ivory' reached #1. The Paul McCartney/Stevie Wonder duet would stay at the top for seven weeks. It was also a #1 hit in the UK.
1982: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes Foreigner’s 'Break It Up' debuting at #70, John Cougar’s 'Hurts So Good' at #49, Queen’s 'Body Language' at #33, Toto’s 'Rosanna' at #27, and The Go-Go’s 'We Got The Beat' at #13. ‬
1982: Asia’s self-titled debut album reached the top of the Billboard 200 Album Chart, where it spent nine non-consecutive weeks at #1.
1984: Nils Lofgren replaces Steven Van Zandt in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.
1984: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble's released their 2nd studio album,. 'Couldn't Stand the Weather.' It #31 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart.
1984: Kick Axe released their debut album, 'Vices.' It was produced by Spencer Proffer, who also produced Quiet Riot's 'Metal Health.'
1985: Stryper's 2nd album, 'Soldiers Under Command' was released. It was the first Christian metal album to achiee Gold record status, selling more than half a million copies.
1986. Run DMC release 'Raising Hell.' It includes a remake of 'Walk This Way' which greatly helped Aerosmith regain their former glory‬.
1986: Sam Phillips is a guest on The Late Show With David Letterman where the host spends six awkward minutes trying to interview the record producer about the early days of Rock 'n' Roll. Instead of answering the questions put to him, a disinterested Phillips seems bent on making silly comments about Letterman's teeth and giving short, flippant answers.
1987: Mötley Crüe release their 4th album 'Girls, Girls, Girls.' It becomes the band’s 3rd straight album to go quadruple platinum. It reached #2 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart. It features the hits 'Wild Side' and 'Girls, Girls, Girls' and the band did a cover of the Elvis' 'Jailhouse Rock.'
1990: Dio release their 5th studio album, 'Lock Up the Wolves.' It reached #61 on the Billboard charts.
1990: Lita Ford releases her 4th studio album, 'Stiletto.' The album reached #52 on the Billboard chart. It included a cover of Alice Cooper's 'Only Women Bleed.'
1990: Sacred Reich released their 2nd studio album, 'The American Way.' The video for 'The American Way' was used in the 1992 film 'The Encino Man.'
1990: Little Caesar release their full-length self-titled debut album.
1992: Testament's 2nd album, 'The Ritual' is released. It reached #55 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart. It was their last album to include drummer Louis Clemente.
1995: Stone Temple Pilots lead singer Scott Weiland is arrested for heroin and cocaine possession in Pasadena by sheriff’s deputies who find cocaine in his car and heroin in his wallet. He is later sentenced to one year’s probation.
1996: Independent Television in Britain broadcast the earliest known footage of The Beatles, shot in February of 1961. That was three years before the group became world-famous. The film, which had no soundtrack, was found in a drawer in a house in Liverpool.
1996: Independent Television in Britain broadcast the earliest known footage of The Beatles, shot in February 1961. That was three years before the group became world-famous. The film, which had no soundtrack, was found in a drawer in a house in Liverpool.
1997: Courtney Love sold the Seattle mansion she shared with Kurt Cobain. A local family purchased the house in the salubrious Denny Blaine area for $3 million.
1997: Oasis became one of the first artists to attempt to exert censorship over the Internet. The group were working with Sony to put an end to unofficial websites carrying lyrics, sound files and photographs of the band.
1997: The Muzak company announced that it will turn four Kiss songs into elevator friendly instrumentals. The Kiss songs to receive the Muzak treatment were 'Beth,' 'Sure Know Something,' 'A World Without Heroes' & 'Every Time I Look at You.'
1998: Garbage, preparing for a lengthy world tour, play the first of three low-key Midwest shakedown dates under the name Stupid Girl.
2001: Megadeth released their 9th studio album, 'The World Needs a Hero.' It peaks at #16 and stays six weeks on Billboard's 200 album chart. ‬It was their last album with drummer Jimmy DeGrasso and their only one with Al Pitrelli.
2001: 'God Bless the Go-Go's,' the Go-Go's 4th album, is released. It is the band's first studio album in 17 years.
2001: Weezer releases 'Weezer' (aka The Green Album).
2003: Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul cast more doubt on the future of the band stating, "There is no future for Pantera right now. There is no commitment from Philip or Rex to Pantera and our great fans."
2005: Nine Inch Nails were at #1 on the US album chart with 'With Teeth', the bands fifth album and second US #1 album.
2006: Alice Cooper hits Fargo, ND for a concert appearance. While in the city he has his handprints enshrined on the North Dakota capital's Walk of Fame, then travels to the suburb of Alice to receive the key to that city.
2006: The Eagles' Don Henley leads a dedication ceremony for a trail called Thoreau's Path at Massachusetts' historic Walden Pond. "Walden has come to represent a powerful way of thinking," says the drummer/environmentalist. In 1990, Henley founded the Walden Woods Project to help conserve the area where 19th century author Henry David Thoreau wrote his classic treatise.
2007: Founding Styx bassist Chuck Panozzo publishes his autobiography, 'The Grand Illusion.'
2007: Megadeth released their 11th studio album, 'United Abominations.'
2008: Kid Rock makes a donation to a Boy Scout troop from Oviedo, FL., who had their equipment stolen the previous week. A trailer and camping gear was taken, jeopardizing a planned summer expedition to Tennessee.
2008: Gene Simmons makes a cameo appearance as himself on ABC's 'Ugly Betty.'
2009: Randy Bachman, a founding member of The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, was invested as an officer of the Order of Canada by Governor General Michaelle Jean in a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. The Order of Canada is the country's highest civilian honor and recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement.
2009: Tim "Ripper" Owens released his debut album, 'Play My Game.' It featured guests Doug Aldrich, Billy Sheehan, Bruce Kulick, Jeff Loomis and Micheal Wilton.
2009: Green Day release their 8th studio album, '21st Century Breakdown.' The set goes to #1 in fourteen countries and is certified gold or platinum in each becoming Green Day's best chart performance to date.
2009: The Offspring's 'S*** Is F***ed Up' North American tour gets underway in Nashville.
2009: Elton John receives the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre Award at the 75th annual Drama League Awards Ceremony and Luncheon at New York's Marriott Marquis Hotel. The honor recognizes John's contribution to the Broadway musical 'Billy Elliot.'
2009: Randy Bachman becomes an Officer of the Order of Canada during a ceremony in Ottawa.
2011: Stone Sour drummer Roy Mayorga suffers a minor stroke after the band's show in Des Moines, Iowa. They cancel the remaining tour stops so Mayorga can "make a 100% recovery."
2011: Rock star Meat Loaf and rapper Lil Jon are eliminated one week before the Season 11 finale of Donald Trump's show The Celebrity Apprentice.
2011: Carlos Santana accepts Major League Baseball's "Beacon of Change" award in Atlanta then blasts the controversial immigration laws of Arizona and Georgia. "This is the land of the free," says Santana. "If people want the immigration laws to keep passing, then everybody should get out and leave the American Indians here."
2011: John Lennon's original handwritten lyric sheet for The Beatles 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' is auctioned for $384,148 at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills. The lyrics were sketched out on a single sheet of paper and have crossed-out words and phrases. The song first appeared on the 1967 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.
2012: Godsmack release their 'Live & Inspired' album.
2013: Eric Avery quits Nine Inch Nails before the revamped band starts touring. "As the tour dates kept growing I just got overwhelmed," says the former Jane's Addiction bassist on Facebook.
2013: Black Sabbath premiere the song 'End Of The Beginning' on the season finale of the TV show 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.'
2014: KoRn begin their first U.S. headlining tour with their original guitarist, Brian 'Head' Welch, since 2004. The first stop is in Belle Vernon, PA.
2014: Metallica's James Hetfield, Green Day's 'Billie Joe Armstrong and Joe Satriani perform at Sammy Hagar's Acoustic-4-A-Cure benefit concert at the Fillmore in San Francisco. The event helps the Pediatric Cancer Program at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. 2014
2015: he 2nd annual "Acoustic-4-A-Cure" benefit concert with Hagar and Hetfield is again in S.F.
2015: George Harrison's Maton Mastersound guitar, used for '63 live performances, is auctioned for $485,000 by Julien's Auctions in New York. Elvis Presley's 1967 marriage license to Priscilla Presley (nee Beaulieu) sells for over $41,000 and his '76 MCI Crusader tour bus goes for $263,000.
2015: Ozzy Osbourne and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony Kiedis appear in a video promoting Animals Asia's campaign to raise awareness of moon, sun and brown bears that are caged and farmed for their bile, which is used in traditional medicines. Supporters can pick up a shirt with the slogan, 'Let a Bear Shit In the Woods.'
2015: Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson says doctors have given him the "all clear" in his battle with tongue cancer.

May 16
1957: Buddy Holly signs with Coral Records.
1963: The Beatles appeared live on the national BBC TV children's program ‘Pops and Lenny’, at Television Theatre in Shepherd's Bush Green, London, in front of an live audience. The Beatles performed ‘From Me to You’ and a shortened version of ‘Please Please Me.
1965: Driving away from a gig at the Civic Hall in Long Beach, California, the limo taking the Rolling Stones back to their hotel was besieged by fans who caved in the roof by standing on it. The band attempted to hold the roof up while their chauffeur drove off with bodies falling onto the road. Policeman John Hurley recalls, “In order to move the limo, I sat on the hood and used my feet to push the kids away. I was still on the hood when the driver sped away, not stopping for signals at several intersections. I had nothing to hold on to except my fingernails in the grooves of the hood.” Seven girls were taken to the hospital with minor injuries along with a policeman who suffered a cut hand.
1965: The Beach Boys appear on The Ed Sullivan Show performing their latest hit, 'Help Me Rhonda.'
1966: The Beach Boys release their classic 'Pet Sounds' album. Their 11th studio album, it reached #10 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart, and #2 on the UK Top 40 Album Chart. It is ranked #2 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. It has since been recognized as one of the most influential records in the history of popular music and one of the best albums of the 1960's.
1966: Bruce Springsteen's band The Castiles buys an hour of studio time at the Bricktown Recording Studio in the Brick Mall Shopping Center in New Jersey. They pay $50 to cut two songs written by the 16-year-old Springsteen.
1966: Bob Dylan’s iconic 'Blonde On Blonde' album was released, reaching #9 in the US charts and #3 in the UK. It was rock's first double album, and Dylan's seventh studio effort, it was recorded with Al Kooper, Robbie Robertson and Nashville country music session players, and had what Dylan later called ‘that wild mercury sound’.
1966: Jeff Beck recorded 'Beck’s Bolero' which would be the B-Side of his debut single 'Hi Ho Silver Lining' at IBC Studios in London. The song was written by Jimmy Page who also played on the song along with John Paul Jones and Keith Moon.
1967: The Monkees' 3rd LP, 'Headquarters' was released. It was their first album recorded primarily by the four members of the group and would reach #1 in the US for one week before being relegated to second place for eleven consecutive weeks by 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.'
1968: Tony Joe White records 'Polk Salad Annie.'
1969: Jefferson Airplane bass player Jack Cassady is arrested for possession of marijuana at the Royal Orleans Hotel in New Orleans. At his trial he gets a 2½ year suspended sentence.
1969: John Lennon, declared "an inadmissible immigrant to the US", seeks a visa to visit America. Lennon's standing visa was revoked by the US Embassy in London ten days before because of his drug conviction in November 1968.
1969: Pete Townshend of The Who spent a night in jail in New York City after being charged with assault. The group was performing at the Fillmore East when a fire broke out at a supermarket next door. A plainclothes policeman leapt onto the stage to warn the crowd and Townshend, thinking the cop was a member of the audience, booted him off.
1970: Jefferson Airplane singer Marty Balin is arrested for possession of marijuana and for contributing to the delinquency of minors in Bloomington, Minnesota. Balin's hotel room was raided by police at 5:30am. They found Balin and friends with several girls aged between 12 to 17 years old. He is sentenced to one year's hard labor and a $100 fine. He appeals and ends up paying only the fine.
1970: Lead guitarist Randy Bachman quits the Guess Who. He would later form Bachman-Turner Overdrive and enjoy six Billboard Top 40 hits with the band.
1970: Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's 'Deja Vu' LP hits #1. It spent one week on top of chart & went on to sell seven million copies in the U.S. In 2003, the album was ranked #148 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
1970: The Who released their 1st live album, 'Live at Leeds.' It reached #4 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart, and #3 on the UK Albums chart. It is ranked #170 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
1974: Queen cancels the remaining dates after Brian May collapsed in New York while the band were on a US tour. May was flown back to England suffering from hepatitis.
1974: Neil Young made an unannounced appearance at The Bottom Line in New York and played songs from his new album 'On The Beach.'
1975: Paul McCartney & Wings 'Listen To What The Man Said' b/w 'Love In Song' 45 single is released in the UK. The song featured new member Joe English on drums, with guest musicians Dave Mason on guitar and Tom Scott on soprano saxophone. It was a #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #6 in the UK. The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over one million copies.
1976: Paul McCartney & Wings' 'Silly Love Songs' is hits #1 on the Billboard Pop chart.
1976: Patti Smith made her UK debut at The Roundhouse in London.
1977: Foreigner's debut album goes gold. Guitarist Mick Jones and Ian McDonald formed the group a year earlier.
1977: The London Evening Standard reported that Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant had been arrested at Atlanta Airport for being drunk and pulling a knife. Since Plant was at his home in Wales at the time of the incident, the person arrested was a man impersonating Plant and the British paper ran an apology the following night.
1978: Joe Walsh's 4th studio album, 'But Seriously, Folks...' is released. It reached #8 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart, bolstered by his biggest solo hit, 'Life's Been Good,' which reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The original eight-minute album version of this track was edited down to 4½ minutes for single release. The album also features the other four members of the Eagles—which Walsh had joined two years earlier—as well as singer-guitarist Jay Ferguson﻿, a former member of the group Spirit (who co-wrote one track on the album), drummer Joe Vitale from Walsh's former band Barnstorm, and bassist Willie Weeks﻿. Original pressings of this record had text engraved on the carry-out grooves:
Side 1: Luncheon Counter of the Deli Kind
Side 2: Call It In the Air!
1980: Former Buggles members Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes joined Yes, replacing Rick Wakeman and Jon Anderson.
1980: Dr. George Nicjopoulous (Dr. Nick to his patients) is indicated on 14 counts of over-prescribing drugs to Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and others. Though he will be acquitted in November, his case will be reopened twelve years later, when his license will be revoked.
1980: Paul McCartney's 'McCartney II' album is released.
1983: Iron Maiden's 4th studio album 'Piece of Mind" is released. The album reached #14 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart. It was their first album with drummer Nicko McBrain.
1984: Ozzy Osbourne was arrested in Memphis, Tennessee for ‘staggering drunk’ down Beale Street. Osbourne was released from the Memphis jail five hours later, after drying out, and was not required to return for a court appearance. He continued on with a tour in support of 1983’s 'Bark at the Moon.'
1984: Prince's 'When Doves Cry' b/w '17 Days (The Rain Will Come Down, Then U Will Have 2 Choose. If U Believe, Look 2 The Dawn And U Shall Never Lose)' 45 single is released. It was an unprecedented worldwide hit, and his first American number one single, topping charts for five weeks. According to Billboard magazine, it was the top-selling single of the year. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, shipping two-million units in the United States. It was the last single released by a solo artist to receive such certification before the certification requirements were lowered in 1989.
1985: A royalty check totaling $6.5 million from the sales of 'We Are The World' is handed over to the USA for Africa Foundation by Columbia Records executive Al Teller. The total raised would eventually rise to over $50 million.
1987: U2's 'With Or Without' is the #1 song in the U.S. It stayed on top for three weeks.
1987: Poison's single 'Talk Dirty To Me' peaks at #9 on Billboard's Hot 100.
1987: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes Tesla’s 'Little Suzi' debuting at #95, Billy Idol’s 'Sweet Sixteen' at #48, Bon Jovi’s 'Wanted Dead Or Alive' at #14, Poison’s 'Talk Dirty To Me' peaking at #9, Bryan Adams’ 'Heat Of The Night' at #6 and U2’s 'With Or Without You' was #1. ‬
1987: David Crosby marries his longtime girlfriend Jan Dance in Los Angeles. “I think we saved each other’s lives,” he says. “The French having a saying for it, ‘raison d’etre’. A reason for being. And we have that.” Bandmate Stephen Stills gave away the bride and Graham Nash renewed his vows with wife Susan.
1992: Guns N' Roses start their 2nd leg of their European Use Your Illusion World Tour at Slane Castle, Slane, Ireland‬. Soundgarden is the opening act.
1992: KISS kick off their European 'Revenge' tour with a show at S.E.C.C., Glasgow Scotland.
1992: Melissa Etheridge's 'Never Enough' tour kicks off in Burlington, VT.
1992: Red Hot Chili Peppers peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik,' which went on to sell seven million copies in the U.S.
1992: U2 peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with 'One' which was their 5th top 10 single in the U.S.
1992: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes Tom Cochrane’s 'Life Is A Highway' debuting at #83, Metallica’s 'Nothing Else Matters' at #53, Weird Al Yankovic’s 'Smells Like Nirvana' at #35, Mr. Big’s 'To Be With You' at #33, Genesis’ 'I Can’t Dance' at #32, and Def Leppard’s 'Let’s Get Rocked' at #15. ‬
1995: The Eagles'' Hell Freezes Over' Tour ends. It's seen by over 2 million fans and earns $135 million.
1998: The Dave Matthews Band's 'Before These Crowded Streets' enters the U.S. charts at #1.
1998: Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards fell while reaching for a book of nude art in his Connecticut home. The fall breaks his ribs, causing the Stones to postpone many dates on their 'Bridges To Babylon' tour.
2000: Pearl Jam release their 6th studio album 'Binaural.'
2000: Motorhead released their 15th studio album, 'We Are Motörhead.' The album contains a cover of The Sex Pistols somng 'God Save the Queen,' and was produced by Bob Kulick.
2000: Prince announces that he will resume using his name (Prince) rather than a symbol to identify himself. The use of the symbol was his response to all sorts of corporate dealings that he had a problem with. Now that the contracts have expired he's back to being Prince again.
2003: Rage released their 16th studio album, 'Soundchaser.'
2005: Trent Reznor gets his day in a New York courtroom when he testifies in the lawsuit he filed the previous year against former Nine Inch Nails business associate John Malm. Reznor accuses Malm of bilking N.I.N. out of millions through deception and shady business tactics.
2006: Red Hot Chili Peppers' 9th album, 'Stadium Arcadium,' sells 442,000 copies in its first week of release to earn the group its first #1 on the Billboard 200. The album tops the charts in 16 other countries as well.
2006: Mark Knopfler files suit against the female motorist who knocked him off his motorcycle in London some three years earlier. The former Dire Straits frontman broke his collarbone, his shoulder and seven ribs in the accident. He also had to cancel a scheduled European tour while he recovered. The woman was convicted of careless driving and later deported to Ecuador. Knopfler seeks approximately $566,000 in damages.
2006: Bono serves as guest editor for the London newspaper, The Independent. The publication donates half of the day's profits to the U2 singer's RED initiative to fight HIV/AIDS in impoverished nations. Bono interviews British Prime Minister Tony Blair and guitarist the Edge covering the revival of New Orleans' music scene.
2006: Paul McCartney and his second wife, Heather Mills McCartney announce they're separating, confirming a spate of rumors. "Both of us still care about each other very much," the couple claim in a joint statement. "But [we] have found it increasingly difficult to maintain a normal relationship with constant intrusion into our private lives." The couple married in '02 and had a daughter, Beatrice Milly, the following year.
2006: A Perfect Circle guitarist Billy Howerdel says the band may never take the stage again. "I think (A Perfect Circle/Tool singer Maynard James Keenan and I) both entertain the fact that (the group could reunite) but for right now we don't have any plans to do it again," adds Howerdel. "A Perfect Circle is done for now."
2007: The Who open their European tour in Lisbon, Portugal. "If you want to catch the new Who at their most effective for 20 years, come and join us," says guitarist Pete Townshend of the tour.
2007: The Steve Miller Band perform at the 2nd annual Matt's
19 Promise Benefit Concert in New York. The event raises money to fund treatment, research and education programs for young people with terminal illnesses.
2007: Parma, Italy, names streets after Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.
2007: ZZ Top cancels their summer European tour because bassist Dusty Hill is suffering from a benign growth in his inner ear. Medication is used rather than surgery.
2007: Mike Love's lawsuit against fellow Beach Boys member Brian Wilson and the British newspaper Mail On Sunday was dismissed as being without merit. Love had sued over the free distribution of a 2004 CD that included the Beach Boys' name and Love's image.
2007: HellYeah announce that ex-Damageplan bassist Bob "Zilla" Kakaha has replaced Jerry Montano, who left the group. HellYeah drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, who played with Kakaha in Damageplan, wanted to work with Kakaha again.
2008: Tracks from 3 Doors Down's self-titled album appear on TouchTunes digital jukeboxes four days before the disc hits stores.
2008: The two-day second annual Riverfront Park Crawfish Boil has headliner 3 Doors Down sharing the stage with Finger Eleven and Papa Roach.
2008: The video for 'Love Remains The Same,' the first single from former Bush singer Gavin Rossdale's debut solo album, 'Wanderlust,' premieres online.
2009: Green Day performs on the season finale of NBC's Saturday Night Live.
2009: The two-day Rock On The Range 2009 gets underway with headliners Slipknot and Motley Crue. Alice In Chains, KoRn, Hoobastank, Buckcherry and Avenged Sevenfold also perform at the Columbus, OH, event.
2009: Rock Stars' Cars & Guitars 2 exhibit opens in Dearborn, MI. On display are Pete Townshend's '56 Lincoln and a smashed Rickenbacker guitar sculpture; costumes and guitars from KISS, including Gene Simmons' "Axe" bass guitar and Paul Stanley's "Star" guitar; Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason's Lola/Cosworth T297 race car; a '68 Ford Mustang Fastback, "Bullitt," driven by Sheryl Crow for her music video, "Steve McQueen"; ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons' '32 Ford Coupe, "Eliminator;" and a '53 Buick Skylark owned by Metallica's James Hetfield.
2009: Bob Dylan went to #1 on the US album chart with ‘Together Through Life’, his 33rd studio album. The album received two Grammy Award nominations in Best Americana Album category and Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance category for 'Beyond Here Lies Nothin'. Its the only album by Dylan to top the US and UK charts consecutively.
2010: Lenny Kravitz headlines the Gulf Aid Benefit Concert at the Mardi Gras World River City venue in New Orleans Proceeds go to the Gulf Relief Foundation to support those impacted by the BP oil spill.
2010: R.I.P. RONNIE JAMES DIO 1942 - 2010: The world of heavy metal lost one of its biggest and most-loved voices with the passing of Ronnie James Dio one year ago this week. Dio died following a short battle with stomach cancer; he was 67 years old. He was a frontman bigger than life on stage yet humble behind the scenes. Known for his voice, the malocchio "metal horns" hand gesture he learned from his Italian grandmother (warding off the evil eye) and most of all for his genuine warmth, Dio’s career spanned from his doo-wop bands of the late ‘50s/early ‘60s (Ronnie and the Red Caps and Ronnie Dio and the Prophets) to Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and, finally, Heaven & Hell (with his former Sabbath bandmates). Rolling Stone magazine eulogized Dio with these words: “It wasn’t just his mighty pipes that made him Ronnie James Dio — it was his moral fervor…what always stood out was Dio’s raging compassion for the lost rock & roll children in his audience. Dio never pretended to be one of the kids — he sang as an adult assuring us that we weren’t alone in our suffering, and some day we might even be proud of conquering it.”
2010: Paul McCartney told Scotland's Sunday Mail newspaper that he is convinced The Beatles would have reformed in recent years if all their members had survived, because they would have signed up for a reunion "just for a laugh". He pointed out that the band was asked to reunite shortly after they split, but said "It wasn't really a good idea then, but I think if this much time had elapsed, I could easily see it happening. Somebody would have said, 'Oh go on. Just for a laugh.'"
2011: According to a poll conducted by MusicRadar.com, Pink Floyd's '73 album 'Dark Side Of The Moon' has the greatest cover of all time. The artwork, a single ray of light split by a prism into a colorful array, beats out Nirvana's 'Nevermind.' The Beatles 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' is third.
2014: Tim Lambesis, singer for As I Lay Dying, is sentenced to six years in prison for attempting to hire a hit man to kill his wife of eight years, Meggan Lambesis.
2014: Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley reveals in an online post that he was hospitalized after he "collapsed to the ground unconscious" when his "liver and kidney's collapsed" due to alcohol abuse. "The reason I got so sick is from all the hard boozing I've been doing over the years," writes Whibley. "It finally caught up to me."
2014: A backlash ensues after a YouTube video showing Olivia Douglas, a nine-year-old girl being encouraged to swear on stage by Five Finger Death Punch singer Ivan Moody, goes viral. Filmed and posted by Douglas' father, it shows Moody hugging the girl while trying to make her chant "Burn motherf***er burn," a lyric from "Burn MF." She appears uncomfortable and looks towards her father, behind the camera, for reassurance. There are strenuous objections to using a child as a 'stage prop'.
2015: Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith receives the "Livin' the Dream" award at Little Kids Rock's first ever Family Jam. The event, which raises over $85,000 for music education, takes place at Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, CA.

May 17
1958: Ferriday, Louisiana celebrates Jerry Lee Lewis Day with a parade honoring their home town boy who was just about to leave on his fateful tour of England.
1963: Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, The Weavers and Peter, Paul and Mary were the featured acts at the very first Monterey Folk Festival in Monterey, California.
1966: Bob Dylan, whose music had recently "gone electric," appeared at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England. Just before he began to sing his latest hit, 'Like A Rolling Stone,' an obvious folk purist in the audience who was upset by Dylan's switch from acoustic to electric guitars, shouted, "Judas!" Dylan replied with "You're a liar," then told his band to play the song "f****** loud."
1967: Bob Dylan's legendary documentary 'Don't Look Back' debuts at the Presidio Theatre in San Francisco.
1967: Working at Abbey Road studios The Beatles began recording a new John Lennon song ‘You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)’. The song was not finished until November 1969, and was not released until March 1970 (as the B-side of the ‘Let it Be’ single).
1969: For just 35 cents, you could pick up a copy of this month's Rolling Stone magazine with Joni Mitchell on the cover.
1969: The Chicago Transit Authority (later known simply as Chicago) release their self-titled debut double album.
1969: The Beatles 'Hey Jude' is named the Best Selling 'A' Side at the annual Ivor Novello Awards in London.
1971: Paul and Linda McCartney's 'Ram' album is released.
1972: The Hollies 'Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)' b/w 'Look What We've Got' 45 single is released.
1973: Yes receive Gold records for both 'Yessongs' their triple-record live set and 'The Yes Album.'
1973: Bachman–Turner Overdrive release their self-titled debut album.
1974: NBC-TV's The Midnight Special offers another salute to '50s and '60s Rock-and-Roll, with Frankie Avalon as host and performances by Sam & Dave, Lou Christie, Frankie Ford, The Fleetwoods, Shirley and Lee, and Fabian.
1974: The Elton John TV special 'Say Goodbye To Norma Jean And Other Things' airs on ABC.
1975: Elton John was awarded a Platinum record for his album 'Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy.' It was the first L.P. to sell one million copies on its first day of release.
1975: Led Zeppelin played the first of five sold-out nights to 17,000 fans at Earls Court Arena in London.
1975: Mick Jagger tripped and in an attempt to break his fall, put his fist through the window of a restaurant in Long Island, New York. Jagger required 20 stitches but the Rolling Stones' North American tour proceeded in two weeks as planned.
1975: Queen's first U.S. single, 'Killer Queen,' peaks at #12 on Billboard's Hot 100.
1975: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes KISS’ 'Rock And Roll All Nite' at #96 (debut), David Bowie’s 'Young Americans' at #46, Led Zeppelin’s 'Trampled Under Foot' at #38, Supertramp’s 'Bloody Well Right' at #37, Alice Cooper’s 'Only Women Bleed' at #26, and Queen’s 'Killer Queen' at #12. ‬
1976: Rainbow's 'Rising' album is released. It reached #48 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart, and #6 on the UK Albums chart.
1978: Lou Reed starts a week-long series of shows at the Bottom Line club in New York City. Several tracks are used on his live album, 'Take No Prisoners.'
1979: The Police performed at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California.
1979: Patti Smith Group's album 'Wave' is released. It reached #18 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart.
1980: Peter Criss dropped out of Kiss and was replaced by drummer Eric Carr. Carr was first heard on the concept album, 'The Elder' in 1981. Both Ace Frehley and Criss had been opposed to the idea of 'The Elder' and when it bombed, Frehley also quit the band. Criss had co-written Kiss' biggest hit single, 'Beth,' and the band had to wait until 1990 to return to the US Top 10 when 'Forever' made it to number 8.
1980: Paul and Linda McCartney are the guest hosts of NBC's Saturday Night Live, where they perform their new single, 'Coming Up,' a recent Billboard #1.
1982: U2 begins recording their 3rd album 'War' at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin.
1982: Black Sabbath was awarded the Gold Ticket for playing to over 100,000 fans at Madison Square Garden throughout their career during a concert in support of 'Mob Rules,' their 2nd album with Ronnie James Dio singing for them.
1983: The Fixx album 'Reach the Beach' is released. It reached #8 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart, bolstered by three Top 40 singles - 'One Thing Leads to Another' (#4), 'Saved by Zero' (#20), and 'The Sign of Fire' (#32).
1983: David Bowie's 'Let’s Dance' hits #1 on the US chart.
1986: Van Halen's 'Why Can't This Be Love' reaches #3 on the pop chart.
1986: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes Rolling Stones’ 'One Hit (To The Body)' at #71 (debut), Psychedelic Furs’ 'Pretty In Pink' at #45, Honeymoon Suite’s 'Feel It Again' at #42, Journey’s 'Be Good To Yourself' at #16, and Van Halen's 'Why Can’t This Be Love' at #3.
1986: The Self Aid--Make It Work concert in Dublin raises funds for the unemployed. U2, Elvis Costello & The Attractions and Van Morrison perform.
1987: A fire destroys Tom Petty's Los Angeles home and causes $800,000 worth of damage. It is later discovered that an arsonist had drenched the house’s back staircase in lighter fluid. “We were shaken for years by it,” Petty admitted. “It’s sort of like being raped, I would imagine. It really took a long time. And it was 10 times as bad, because you knew that somebody just went and did it. Somebody tried to off you.”
1988: The Vinnie Vincent Invasion album 'All Systems Go' is released. It peaked at #64 on Billboard's 200 album chart
1988: Judas Priest's 'Ram It Down' album is released.
1989: Former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman's first 'Sticky Fingers' restaurant opened in London.
1989: Promoters in Montreal announced the cancellation of a July 5th reunion concert by The Who because of poor ticket sales. There was heavy demand for tickets for the other 25 dates on the tour.
1990: Nirvana played the last date of a North American tour at the Zoo in Boise, Idaho. This was Chad Channing’s final gig with the band, drummer Dave Grohl replaced him in Sept of this year after his band Scream had split-up.
1992: Phil Collins’ sore throat caused Genesis to cancel a concert two songs into their set at Tampa Stadium.
1995: After all these years, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Little Richard appear together for the first time at a concert in Sheffield, England.
1996: Blues guitarist Johnny Guitar Watson died of a heart attack while on tour in Yokohama, Japan. According to eyewitness reports, he collapsed mid guitar solo. His last words were "ain't that a bitch."
1996: Kevin Gilbert, multi instrumentalist and songwriter, dies of accidental autoerotic asphyxiation. Gilbert was a member of Giraffe, who also worked with his one-time girlfriend Sheryl Crow and co-wrote many of the songs on her debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club, including the 1995 Grammy Record of the Year 'All I Wanna Do.'
1999: Bruce Fairbairn dies of unknown causes in Vancouver at 49. Fairbairn was a legendary producer, responsible for hit records like Bon Jovi’s 'Slippery When Wet' (12x platinum), Aerosmith’s 'Permanent Vacation' (5x platinum), AC/DC’s 'The Razors Edge' (5x platinum), and from bands such as Loverboy, Yes, Poison, Scorpions, Jackyl, Van Halen, INXS, Kiss and many more. He was found dead by Yes singer Jon Anderson, with whom he was making an album.
2000: The Eagles filed a lawsuit against Bill Arnold for allegedly violating a trademark for naming his restaurant Hotel California Grill. Arnold’s comment on the lawsuit was “This is a restaurant, not a song. We’re not infringing on the rights of Don Henley, Glenn Frey or anyone.”
2003: After a three year absence, Third Eye Blind returns with their album 'Out Of The Vein.'
2004: U2`s Bono delivers the commencement address to the graduating class of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The U2 frontman also gets an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the school. In a prepared statement Penn president Judith Rodin says "Bono has been a powerful force for change."
2004: 3 Doors Down announce the creation of The Better Life Foundation, to benefit children in need of food, shelter and medical assistance.
2005: System Of A Down's 'Mezmerize' is released.
2005: Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil introduces his new wine, Vince Vineyards, in Las Vegas. He also performs with the Pussycat Dolls dancers.
2005: 3 Doors Down's 'Here Without You' wins Song Of The Year at the 53rd annual BMI Pop Awards in Los Angeles. The performing-rights organization honors the tune that received the most airplay. Nickelback, Linkin Park, Audioslave, Fuel, Live and Evanescence are also recognized for having heavily played songs.
2006: Original Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin joins his former band onstage in New York at the last of four shows at the city's Hammerstein Ballroom. Kid Rock also makes a guest appearance.
2006: Paul McCartney and his wife Heather Mills admitted that they had given up the fight to save their marriage, saying that after fours years together, they were going their separate ways.
2007: Linkin Park's Chester Bennington and Disturbed's David Draiman perform at a concert paying tribute to Pantera/Damageplan guitarist 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott. The Black Tooth Bash in L.A. has appearances by Staind's Aaron Lewis, ex-Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro and members of Alice In Chains and Slipknot. The are also guitars hand-painted by Rock stars are auctioned with proceeds benefiting Little Kids Rock music-education charity.
2007: The online show, Spread Entertainment, makes its debut with host ex-Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro. "It's like a looser version of (The Phil) Donahue (Show) in a nightclub," says Navarro. "I wanted to create a party atmosphere." It's filmed at LA's Dragonfly in front of a studio audience.
2008: Stone Temple Pilots kick off their reunion tour with a headlining performance at the Rock on the Range festival in Columbus, OH. The 17-song set spans STP's career and includes 'Vasoline.'
2009: 'Aerosmith: Essential Interviews,' a book compiling memorable conversations with the band members (including Q & A's from a wide variety of magazines), is available in paperback and as a digital download.
2010: ZZ Top made a cameo appearance on 'Two and a Half Men' appearing in a fantasy sequence.
2011: Scott Weiland's ironically titled autobiography 'Not Dead & Not for Sale' is in bookstores. The Stone Temple Pilots frontman wrote the tome with David Ritz.
2011: Warrant release their album 'Rockaholic.'
2012: 'Nothing Like I Planned: The Art of John Mellencamp,' a collection of the singer/songwriter's paintings, opens at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville.
2012: U2's Bono performs at the annual benefit to support the Jazz Foundation of America's efforts to raise funds and awareness for artists who have fallen into financial despair. Producer Quincy Jones brings Bono onstage at the Apollo Theater in Harlem to sing, appropriately enough, 'Angel Of Harlem.'
2012: Alice Cooper is the keynote speaker at the Musicians Institute College of Contemporary Music's commencement ceremony at the Wiltern Theater in L.A.
2013: Scottsdale (AZ) firefighter Todd Pendleton takes an autographed Alice Cooper guitar with him as he climbs to the summit of Mt. Everest to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. "After a week long climb, 24 hours in a tent in 60 miles winds, and 16 grueling hours on summit day. We reached the summit at 7:30 in the morning."
2013: Bob Dylan was made an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Dylan, who was unable to attend the New York ceremony, said he felt "extremely honored" and "lucky" to be admitted. Dylan's induction was decided by a vote of the Academy's 250 members.
2014: Stone Sour announce they have fired Jim Root but the guitarist is still a member of Slipknot. "We feel it's best for both bands and hope that is reflected in the days to come," reads a Stone Sour statement.
2014: George Harrison's '62 Rickenbacker 425 is auctioned at Julien's Auctions for $657,000. Harrison used the guitar for The Beatles first appearance on the television programs Ready Steady Go! and Thank Your Luck Stars in '63. Harrison is said to have originally paid between $400 and $500 for the guitar in '63.
2015: George Harrison's Maton Mastersound guitar, used during the Beatles' live performances in the summer of 1963, sold for $485,000 by Julien's Auctions in New York.
2015: Green Day return to 924 Gilman Street for a special benefit concert to help raise money for victims of a building fire in Oakland that affected two local, independent publishing houses. It's Green Day's first appearance at the all ages non-profit in 21 years; they were banned for signing a major label deal.
2015: Van Halen open the 2015 Billboard Music Awards with their '84 hit, 'Panama.' The Top Rock Album award goes to Coldplay's 'Ghost Stories.'
2016: Lamb Of God receive gold plaques for their 3rd album, 'Ashes Of The Wake.' The 2004 album sold more than 500,000 copies.
2016: 'With My Eyes Wide Open: Miracles And Mistakes On My Way Back To Korn' chronicles Brian 'Head' Welch's departure from KoRn in '05, and his subsequent struggles before rejoining the group in '13.
2016: The German postal service honors the late Motorhead singer/bassist Lemmy Kilmister with a series of limited-edition postage stamps. The stamps are available for a month.
2016: Alanis Morissette sues her former business manager, Jonathan Schwartz, claiming he stole $4.7 million from her from 2009-2016. The following year, Schwartz admits to that theft and also to stealing another $2 million from other clients. Morissette is compensated in a settlement.

May 18
1959: Wilbert Harrison's 'Kansas City,' written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller is #1 on the pop chart. The song is later covered by The Beatles. Cover versions by Hank Ballard And The Midnighters, Rocky Olson, Rockin' Ronald & The Rebels, and Little Richard all appeared in March of 1959, but the Harrison version was by far the most popular. Further success for Harrison would have to wait until 1970 when 'Let's Work Together' made it to #32 in the U.S.
1963: The Beatles kicked off their first British tour as a headline act with a concert in Slough, England.
1963: Lesley Gore's 'It's My Party' enters Billboard's Top 40, where it will reach #1.
1964: The Animals record 'House Of The Rising Sun' in one take in London. It is on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
1964: A riot broke out in Hamilton, Scotland during a Rolling Stones UK tour when over 4,000 fans with forged tickets gatecrashed the bands gig at the Chantingall Hotel.
1966: The Castiles (with Bruce Springsteen on vocals), made their first recordings at Mr Music Inc in Brick Town, New Jersey. They cut two Springsteen songs, ‘Baby I’ and ‘That’s What You Get.' The songs were cut directly to disc, of which seven or eight test pressings of the studio takes were made.
1966: During his 1966 world tour, Bob Dylan and Robbie Robertson from The Band were filmed singing several songs in a hotel room in Glasgow, Scotland, the footage turning up in the film 'Eat The Document.' The film was originally commissioned for the ABC television series 'Stage '66,' but after Dylan edited the film himself ABC rejected it as "incomprehensible for a mainstream audience."
1966: The Hollies record 'Bus Stop.'
1967: John Lennon and Paul McCartney sang backing vocals on The Rolling Stones track 'We Love You' during a session at Olympic Studios in London.
1967: The Beatles were selected to represent the UK for the first-ever global-wide satellite broadcast. The group agreed to be shown in the studio recording a song written especially for the occasion, scheduled for June 25. John Lennon wrote ‘All You Need is Love’ which was thought to sum up the 1967 'summer of love' and The Beatles' sympathies. With the satellite broadcast being broadcast to many non-English-speaking countries, the BBC asked The Beatles to "keep it simple."
1967: Pink Floyd started recording their forthcoming single 'See Emily Play' at Sound Techniques Studios in Chelsea, London. Syd Barrett was inspired to write 'See Emily Play,' by the ‘looning about’ of the early Pink Floyd fan Emily Young, (who is now a renowned sculptor). Guitarist David Gilmour, playing gigs in France with his own band in that period, visited Floyd in the studio during a trip to London.
1968: The first Miami Pop event took place with an estimated 100,000 people attending the concert, which was promoted by Richard O'Barry & Michael Lang (later famous as the promoter of Woodstock). Bands featured at the festival included Steppenwolf, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Mothers of Invention, Blue Cheer, Chuck Berry, The Blues Image, Pacific Gas and Electric, Three Dog Night and the Crazy World of Arthur Brown.
1968: Grateful Dead, The Doors, The Steve Miller Band and Jefferson Airplane all appeared at The Northern California Rock Festival in Santa Clara.
1969: The Beatles 'Get Back' is the #1 Billboard Pop Hit.
1970: The Beatles 12th and final studio album, 'Let it Be' is released. It topped the Billboard 200 Top LP's & Tapes chart for four weeks in early summer, 1970, and topped the UK Albums chart for three weeks. In 2012, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #392 in the magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time in 2003.
1971: The Band kicks off their first European tour in Amsterdam.
1972: Looking Glass 'Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)' b/w 'One By One' 45 single is released. The single reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, remaining in the top position for one week. Horns and strings were arranged by Larry Fallon. It was the group's first and only hit, making them a one hit wonder.
1972: The Grateful Dead perform at the Kongressaal Deutsches Museum in Muenchen, Germany on their Europe ’72 tour.
1972: According to today’s New York Times, the Beatles have agreed to split the fortune they accrued in their partnership. Paul McCartney says they’ve come to this arrangement to free up the $17 million that was frozen as they sued one another.
1973: Yes release their first live album 'Yessongs.' It reached #12 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's & Tape chart, and #7 on the UK Albums chart. The album is formed of recordings from their supporting world tours for their studio albums, 'Fragile' and 'Close to the Edge,' between February and December 1972.
1973: Pink Floyd plays the first of two shows at London’s Earl’s Court Exhibition Hall after the official UK release of 'Dark Side of the Moon.'
1973: Led Zeppelin play the Dallas Convention Center. Ticket are $4.50 & $6.50.
1974: The Who headlined The Summer of ’74 festival at the Charlton Athletic Football Ground in London. Also on the bill were Lou Reed, Humble Pie and Bad Company.
1976: Angel's 2nd album, 'Helluva Band' is released.
1976: Queen's 'You're My Best Friend' b/w '39' 45 single is released. Written by bass guitarist John Deacon, it was originally included on the album 'A Night at the Opera' in 1975, and later released as a single on May 18, 1976. It reached #16 on The Billboard Hot 100.
1976: Warren Zevon released his self-titled album. It was recorded in 1975 and includes a "Who's Who" of guests - Jackson Browne, Lindsey Buckingham, Rosemary Butler, Phil Everly, Glenn Frey, Bob Glaub, Don Henley, David Lindley, Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, J.D. Souther, Waddy Wachtel and Carl Wilson among others.
1977: The Grateful Dead perform at the renown Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.
1978: Bob Marley and The Wailers played the first night on a 19-date North American tour at the Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
1978: 'The Buddy Holly Story,' a film starring Gary Busey, premiered in Holly's hometown of Lubbock, Texas. The movie will be a critical and commercial success, although insiders said it had little historical accuracy. Busey would later be nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his role.
1979: David Bowie's 'Lodger﻿' album is released. It reached #20 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart, and #4 on the UK Albums chart. The last of the 'Berlin Trilogy' recorded in collaboration with Brian Eno (though in fact produced in Switzerland and New York), it was more accessible than its immediate predecessors 'Low' and 'Heroes,' having no instrumentals and being somewhat lighter and more pop-oriented. However it was still an experimental record in many ways and was not, by Bowie's standards, a major commercial success. Indifferently received by critics on its initial release, it is now widely considered one of Bowie's most underrated albums.
1979: Journey hosted 'The Midnight Special.' They performed 'Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’ & 'City of the Angels.' The Jacksons & Herbie Hancock was also special guests on the program.
1980: Peter Criss leaves Kiss for the first of three times. He is replaced by drummer Eric Carr. He would return 16 years later for the highly successful KISS Renio Tour.
1982: Joe Strummer reappeared after disappearing for a month moving to Paris to get away from The Clash. He cited exhaustion & doubts about his career as the reason for this disappearance.
1982: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts played the San Jose Civic in San Jose, CA.
1985: Scottish Rock band Simple Minds make their breakthrough in North America when 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' tops the Billboard singles chart. The song was written specifically for the film 'The Breakfast Club' and was only the second tune recorded by the group that they did not write. Written by Keith Forsey (who won an Oscar for 'Flashdance... What a Feeling') and Steve Schiff (guitarist and songwriter from the Nina Hagen band.
1985: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes Kim Mitchell’s 'Go For A Soda' at #87 & Duran Duran’s 'A View To A Kill' at #43 (debuts), Foreigner’s 'That Was Yesterday' at #22, Don Henley’s 'All She Wants To Do Is Dance' at #14 & Simple Minds’ 'Don’t You (Forget About Me)' at #1.
1988: Fleetwood Mac played the first of six sold out nights at Wembley Arena, London on their The Tango In The Night Tour.
1989: A judge in Tampa, Florida gave permission to original Byrds drummer Michael Clarke to continue using the Byrds' name for another group he had formed.
1991: R.E.M. went to #1 on the US album chart with 'Out Of Time,' which began two non-consecutive weeks on top.
1991: Rod Stewart manages a Top 5 pop hit with 'Rhythm Of My Heart.'
1992: Saxon released their 11th studio album, 'Forever Free.'
1993: Winger release their 3rd album, 'Pull.'
1993: KISS 'Alive III' album was released.
1993: KISS get a spot on the Hollywood Rock Walk.
1996: 'Crash' from the Dave Matthews Band debuts at #2 behind "Fairweather Johnson" by Hootie & the Blowfish.
1996: Soundgarden perform on the season finale of Saturday Night Live.
1996: Brad Nowell of Sublime marries Troy Dendekker, the mother of his son, Jakob. He dies of a drug overdose a week later.
1999: AFI's 'Black Sails At Sunset' album is released.
1999: W.A.S.P. released their 8th album, 'Helldorado.'
2003: Stone Temple Pilots' singer Scott Weiland is arrested for drug possession in Burbank, CA. Weiland is released on $100,000 bail.
2004: New Jersey’s Country Cow Creamery gets permission from Ozzy and his wife Sharon to create flavors in their name. Ozzy’s is called Carnivorous Carrot Cake (cinnamon spice ice cream with carrot cake dipped in hazelnut liqueur) and Sharon’s is Death By Sharon (dark chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate fudge and bits of brownie dunked in Godiva chocolate liqueur).
2004: Clint Warwick, the original bassist for The Moody Blues, died from liver disease at the age of 63. Clint left the band in 1966 after playing on their only number one hit, 'Go Now.'
2004: It's announced that Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood is the British Broadcasting Corp.'s composer in residence. He is tasked with composing a new work that could include the BBC Concert Orchestra.
2004: Metallica is honored in Los Angeles at ASCAP's annual Pop Music Awards. The group receives the inaugural Creative Voice Award. Also, songs by Audioslave and Puddle Of Mudd are recognized as some of the most performed tunes of 2003.
2004: Lenny Kravitz releases his album 'Baptism.' Kravitz wrote, produced and recorded all 13 songs, including lead track 'Minister of Rock N' Roll.'
2005: Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles is shut down for a free outdoor show by Audioslave that airs later on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live. However, some rowdy fans among the audience of 10,000 break through a barricade causing police to ask that the show be stopped. Audioslave play one more song 'Cochise,' before wrapping it up.
2005: Last Call With Carson Daly airs the debut performance of the Country ballad "The Man I Didn't Know" by Velvet Revolver/STP frontman Scott Weiland. Weiland wrote the song about his father.
2006: George Thorogood and the Destroyers kick off a four month tour starting in New Haven, CT. in support of their album 'The Hard Stuff.'
2006: KoRn's Jonathan Davis tosses out the ceremonial first pitch before a Chicago Cubs-Washington Nationals game at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Outside the park, Davis hands out thousands of $10 bills to fans to help promote specially priced $9.99 lawn seats on his band's Family Values Tour with the Deftones, Stone Sour and Flyleaf.
2006: Alice In Chains officially kick off their reunion tour at Los Angeles' Roxy Theater. They get support Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, former Screaming Trees leader Mark Lanegan and Velvet Revolver bassist Duff McKagan who accompanies Alice In Chains on guitar for five songs.
2006: Bruce Springsteen is honored as an inaugural inductee into the New Jersey Walk of Fame during a ceremony in Newark.
2006: Axl Rose is involved in an altercation with designer Tommy Hilfiger at a New York club during a private birthday party for actress Rosario Dawson. Rose claims the fashion mogul began smacking him, apparently after a dispute over a V.I.P. table. Following the incident, Hilfiger is removed from the celebrity-filled bash. Later that evening, GN'R performs an acoustic set. Rose dedicates the song 'You're Crazy' to his "good friend Tommy Hilfiger."
2007: Evanescence announce that Dark New Day guitarist Troy McLawhorn and drummer Will Hunt have been selected to replace John LeCompt and Rocky Gray. The pair departed a few weeks earlier.
2007: Four days after suffering a stroke, Bo Diddley walked around the intensive-care unit at Creighton University Medical Center and doctors were encouraged that the singer-songwriter-guitarist would be able to perform again. Unfortunately, the only time he ever sang in public again was an impromptu, one song performance at the unveiling of a plaque devoted to him in early November. He would pass away after suffering heart failure at his home on June 2, 2008.
2007: U.D.O. released their 11th album, 'Mastercutor.'
2009: Linkin Park's 'New Divide' goes to radio and is available on iTunes. The track is also the theme song for the film 'Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen.'
2010: The Black Keys release their 6th album, 'Brothers. '
2010: Avenged Sevenfold's single and title track from their 5th studio album, 'Nightmare,' is digitally released.
2010: Exodus release their 9th studio album 'Exhibit B: The Human Condition.'
2010: ZZ Top plays a benefit for the victims of the Chilean earthquake at the Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile. It's the first major concert in the country since the devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake in February of 2010. "The whole world knows about the effects caused by the earthquake that happened in your beautiful country," says frontman Billy Gibbons.
2011: The annual Forbes Celebrity 100 list includes U2 (#4) and Bon Jovi (#8). The Forbes list evaluates earnings, power, influence and social media popularity. Lady Gaga and Oprah Winfrey are #1 and #2.
2011: John Lennon's handwritten lyrics for the 1967 Beatles song 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' sold for $237,132 at an auction at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. The sale of the sheet featured the song's third verse and the opening words to 'She's Leaving Home.' Both songs are on the 1967 album 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.' It was speculated the song was about the drug LSD, however, The Beatles denied this, with Lennon saying the inspiration had come from a picture his son Julian had drawn of a classmate named Lucy Vodden - who died of the immune system disease Lupus in 2009.
2012: Tom Morello performs at the National Nurses United rally before a crowd of 5,000 protesters at Chicago's Daley Plaza during the NATO convention. "They couldn't shut us down because we stood up," says Morello. "It was a few politicians, their skeevy lawyers and some trembling NATO generals who caved in."
2012: Sammy Hagar donates $10,000 to the St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish Food Bank in Atlantic City. "When I see children that aren't eating, that's when I get really touched, so my first goal is to help children as much as possible because they're the future of this planet," says Hagar, who contributes funds to food banks on every stop on Chickenfoot's tour.
2013: KROQ's Weenie Roast features an unexpected Stone Temple Pilots performance. Fronted by Linkin Park's Chester Bennington, who imitates some of former STP vocalist Scott Weiland's signature serpentine stage moves, the group premieres their single, 'Out Of Time.' The Black Keys and 30 Seconds To Mars are the headliners.
2013: A custom-built VOX guitar played by John Lennon and George Harrison during the recording of The Beatles 'Magical Mystery Tour' sells at auction for $408,000. Harrison used the guitar to practice 'I Am The Walrus' in 1967 and Lennon played it during a videotaping of 'Hello, Goodbye' later that year.
2013: Motley Crue are inducted into the Mohegan Sun Walk of Fame in Uncasville, CT. prior to the band's concert. The award recognizes those individuals who have made significant contributions to the success of Mohegan Sun casino.
2015: Faith No More release 'Sol Invictus,' their first studio album since 1997's 'Album Of The Year.'
2015: Graham Parker & The Rumour's second album since reforming in 2011, 'Mystery Glue' is released.
2015: "It's nice to be in a world like professional wrestling where I'm treated like a normal person," says Smashing Pumpkins frontman and wrestling promoter Billy Corgan at a joint press conference with Marilyn Manson prior to their double-bill tour. Manson recalls the pair's early encounters. "I tried to convince him to wear makeup and he tried to make me have more chords in my music."
2015: Yes reveal that founding member Chris Squire has been diagnosed with leukemia. He passes away the following month (June 27).
2016: 'Gimme Danger,' an Iggy & The Stooges documentary, makes its official premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in France. Director Jim Jarmusch calls the film a "love letter to possibly the greatest band in Rock n. Roll history."
2016: Queen's collaboration with David Bowie on the 1981 single 'Under Pressure' is voted Britain's favorite duet in a poll conducted by Morar Consulting.
2016: Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler lists his gated estate in Beverly Hills for $3.22 million.
2017: Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell commits suicide following a concert in Detroit. He was 52.

May 19
1958: Ritchie Valens starts his recording career at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood. He records the self-penned 'Come On, Let's Go' for Del-Fi Records in Los Angeles. The song would peak at #42 on the Billboard singles chart the following October.
1958: Bobby Darin's 'Splish Splash' was released. It was the first recording made on an eight track recorder at Atlantic Records and would eventually reach #3 in America. It was written with DJ Murray the K (Murray Kaufman), who bet that Darin couldn't write a song that began with the words, "Splish Splash, I was takin' a bath", as suggested by Murray's mother, Jean Kaufman. The song was credited to Darin and "Jean Murray" (a combination of their names) to avoid any hint of payola. It was recorded in a session at New York's Atlantic Studios on the evening of April 10, 1958. The personnel on the original recording included Jesse Powell on tenor sax, Al Caiola, Billy Mure on guitar, Wendell Marshall on bass, and Panama Francis on drums.
1960: American DJ Alan Freed was indicted along with seven others for accepting $30,650 in payola from six record companies. Two years later, he was convicted and given a suspended sentence and a $300 fine.
1961: The Everly Brothers launch their own record label, Calliope, intended for the purpose of discovering and developing new talent. Their own recordings will continue to be issued exclusively by Warner Brothers
1965: The FBI begins investigating the lyrics to the song 'Louie Louie' and spends two years analyzing them. At the end of their investigation, a statement is issued saying, “the lyrics of the song on this record was not definitely determined by this Laboratory examination, it was not possible to determine whether this recording is obscene.”
1965: During a U.K. show, Kinks drummer Mick Avory hits guitarist Dave Davies over the head with a cymbal. Davies requires 16 stitches but declines to press charges.
1965: The Beatles 'Ticket To Ride' is the #1 Billboard Pop Hit.
1966: The Grateful Dead debut at San Francisco's Avalon Ballroom.
1967: Jefferson Airplane play Cal Poly Men's Gym on the campus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in San Luis Obispo, CA.
1967: Pink Floyd played at Club A’ Go Go in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England.
1967: The Beatles held a press party at manager's Brian Epstein's house in London for the launch of the 'Sgt Pepper's' album. Linda Eastman was hired as the press photographer.
1969: The Beatles' single 'Get Back' is awarded a Gold record for sales over 1 million. Paul McCartney would later say "We were sitting in the studio and we made it up out of thin air..."
1969: Poco released their debut album, 'Pickin' Up the Pieces.' It reached #63 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart.
1969: The Who appeared at The Rock Pile in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
1970: New Riders of the Purple Sage, along with The Grateful Dead, performed at the Washington University Quadrangle in St. Louis, Missouri.
1971: Emerson, Lake And Palmer and Mott the Hoople played at the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis, Missouri.
1971: King Crimson performed at the Lyceum Ballroom in London.
1972: David Bowie appeared at Oxford Brookes University in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England.
1972: Elton John's 5th studio album. 'Honky Château' is released. It topped the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart for five weeks, and reached #2 on the UK Albums chart. In 2003, the album was ranked #357 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. 'Honky Cat' and the Bowie-inspired 'Rocket Man' became John's first Top 10 hits since the release of 'Your Song' two years prior.
1972: Uriah Heep release their 4th album, 'Demons and Wizards.' It reached #23 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart, bolstered by the Top 40 hit 'Easy Livin' (#39).
1972: Free's 'Little Bit Of Love' b/w 'Sail On' 45 single is released in the UK.
1973: Paul Simon releases the single 'Kodachrome,' which would become a hit in the US, but was banned from air play in the UK because it contains a brand name.
1973: Humble Pie played at Honolulu International Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.
1973: The Allman Brothers Band performed at Fairground Coliseum in Columbus, Ohio.
1974: The Grateful Dead performed at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon.
1975: Aerosmith's 'Sweet Emotion' b/w 'Uncle Salty' 45 single is released. The song was written by lead singer Steven Tyler and bassist Tom Hamilton. 'Sweet Emotion' reached #36 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's breakthrough single and the first Top 40 hit for the band. The day it hit #36 on the U.S. chart, July 19, 1975, Aerosmith was booked at a gig in New York City's Central Park, called the Schaefer Music Festival.
1975: Eagles 'One Of These Nights' b/w 'Vision' 45 single is released.
1975: Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Saturday Night Special' b/w 'Made in the Shade' 45 single is released. It's the only single released from the 'Nuthin' Fancy' album.
1976: The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards crashes his Bentley into a highway divider in Newton Pagnell, a town 50 miles north of London. Police take various substances from his vehicle and Richards will be charged with possession of cocaine and marijuana.
1976: Bob Dylan played at Henry Levitt Arena in Wichita, Kansas.
1976: Aerosmith performed at the Von Braun Civic Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
1976: Billy Joel released his 4th album, 'Turnstiles.' It reached #122 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart. The single, 'Say Goodbye to Hollywood' hit the Top 20, reaching #17. In part, the album was made to celebrate Joel's return to New York City after his sojourn in California. Three of the album's tracks reference New York: 'Summer, Highland Falls,' 'New York State of Mind' and 'Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway).' In addition, Joel begins the album with 'Say Goodbye to Hollywood' (inspired by The Ronnettes song 'Be My Baby') and also includes 'I've Loved These Days,' a tongue-in-cheek expression of regret at leaving behind Hollywood's decadence.
1978: Dire Straits released their first major label single 'Sultans Of Swing', recorded on a £120 budget. The song was first recorded as a demo at Pathway Studios, North London, in July 1977, and quickly acquired a following after it was put on rotation at Radio London.
1978: KISS‬ played Magic Mountain Amusement Park while filming 'KISS Meets The Phantom Of The Park.'
1978: The Kinks' 'Misfits' album is released. It reached #40 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart. The single, 'A Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy' hit the Top 40, reaching #30.
1979: The closest thing to a Beatles' reunion happened when Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr played together at Eric Clapton's wedding reception. Joining them for a jam session were Clapton, Mick Jagger and Ginger Baker. The all-star band plays songs from Little Richard and Eddie Cochran. The bride, Patti Boyd, was formerly married to George Harrison.
1979: Supertramp went to #1 on the US album chart with 'Breakfast In America', the group's only US #1.
1979: Van Halen appeared at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1980: Ringo Starr and his future wife Barbara Bach were involved in a car crash less than half a mile from where Marc Bolan was killed. The car was a write-off but Starr and Bach were not seriously injured.
1980: Black Sabbath played at City Hall in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England.
1981: Sting was named songwriter of the year at the 26th Ivor Novello Awards.
1982: Blue Oyster Cult appeared at Rudi Sedlmayr Halle in Munich, Germany.
1983: Roxy Music performed at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto.
1984: The Cars release 'Magic' from the 'Heartbeat City' album.
1984: Bob Marley and the Wailers started a 12-week run at #1 on the UK album chart with the compilation album 'Legend,' released to commemorate the 3rd anniversary of Marley's death.
1986: Peter Gabriel released his 5th album 'So,' which was his first solo album not titled Peter Gabriel. It later went on to reach #2 on the Billboard 200 Album chart & sell five million copies in the U.S. It is ranked at 187 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 greatest albums of all time. The album received four Grammy Award nominations: Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, Song of the Year, Record of the Year (all for 'Sledgehammer'), and Album of the Year.
1986: The Ramones released their 9th studio album, 'Animal Boy.'
1988: The British Phonographic Industry is rebuffed by the UK's House Of Lords when it tries to prevent electronics manufacturer Amstrad from producing and marketing a dual tape deck which makes it easy for consumers to copy cassettes. Because the company includes copyright warnings with the machine, The House ruled that they were not encouraging people to break the law.
1989: Ron Wilson, The Surfaris' drummer who recorded Rock and Roll's most influential drum solo, 'Wipe Out,' died of a brain aneurysm at the age of 49.
1990: Heart peaked at #33 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with 'Brigade,' which went on to sell two million copies in the U.S.
1992: KISS release their 16th studio album, 'Revenge.'
1992: Aerosmith donated $10,000 to MIT in Boston to fund an explicit exhibition of photographs & sculptures after the National Endowment for the Arts pulled support.
1993: Depeche Mode begin their Devotional tour in Lille, France. They reach new levels of excess on the trek, culminating with lead singer Dave Gahan having a heart attack during a show.
1996: Peter Frampton, The Smashing Pumpkins and Sonic Youth made guest appearances on The Simpsons season finale Homerpalooza,' where they were on tour as part of a music festival that Homer Simpson joined as a carnival freak.
1998: U2 give a concert in Belfast in support of an upcoming Peace Agreement vote. The show comes on the heals of frontman Bono being named one of the 20 most hated men in Northern Ireland.
1998: Kansas released their 13th studio album, 'Always Never the Same.'
1998: Sonny and Cher get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. For Sonny, who died January 5, 1998, it's a posthumous honor.
2000: Dickey Betts of The Allman Brothers Band is essentially kicked out of the band for “creative differences,” which are allegedly related to drugs and/or alcohol use.
2001: Weezer appears on Saturday Night Live. They perform 'Hash Pipe' and 'Island In The Sun' with Will Farrell.
2004: Incubus performs 'Talk Shows On Mute,' on CBS' Late Show With David Letterman.
2006: VH1 Classic's 'Decades Rock Live!' series pays tribute to Elvis Costello. The Atlantic City concert features Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong and Death Cab For Cutie. 2006: Sting's annual Rainforest Foundation benefit concert is held at New York's Carnegie Hall with appearances by Billy Joel, James Taylor and Sheryl Crow.
2006: Former Creed frontman Scott Stapp opens for INXS on a seven week North American tour.
2007: U2 play a brief (two songs) set on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. Their film, 'U2 3D,' makes its premiere.
2007: Evanescence, Hinder and Velvet Revolver headline the inaugural 'Rock on the Range' music festival in Columbus, OH. The show's bill also features Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, Chevelle, Puddle Of Mudd, Papa Roach and Buckcherry also perform.
2007: Eric Clapton, Yes' Jon Anderson and Procol Harum's Gary Brooker appear at the Countryside Rocks concert in Newbury, England. The event benefits the Countryside Alliance, an organization that opposes a U.K. ban on hunting with dogs in rural regions. Steve Winwood and ex-Who/Faces/Small Faces drummer Kenney Jones also perform.
2007: Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood's Island Rumours, make their debut at the Diamond Head Crater Celebration in Honolulu.
2008: 'From Life To Life,' a garden tribute to the late George Harrison, opens in London at the Chelsea Flower Show. The garden was co-designed by Harrison's widow, Olivia. On hand are Ringo Starr and Beatles producer George Martin. "I think it's a nice gesture for George," says Starr. "He loved the garden."
2008: A poem written by 16 year old Bob Dylan, who was still using his birth name, Robert Zimmerman, was slated to be offered for sale at a Christie's auction, where it was expected to sell for $10,000 to $15,000. Written on both sides of a single page, the verses tell the poignant story of a dog named Little Buddy who is killed at the hands of a drunkard, and the boy who mourns him.
2008: Green Day side project Foxboro Hot Tubs embark on their first-ever tour (in support of 'Stop Drop And Roll!!!') in Little Rock.
2009: Green Day gives an intimate (an audience of about 300) MySpace Music concert in New York to promote their '21st Century Breakdown' album.
2009: Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready plays 'The Star-Spangled Banner' at the Seattle Mariners home game against the Los Angeles Angels. McCready's performance takes place in conjunction with the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America Night at Safeco Field. McCready is a long-time sufferer of Crohn's disease. A portion of ticket proceeds benefit the Northwest Chapter of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation.
2009: The first episode of the TV show Glee airs, featuring a Glee Club performance of Journey's 'Don't Stop Believin' that brings the song back to the charts. The Glee version made #4 - which was 5 spots higher than journey's original.
2010: Bret Michaels (Poison) is on The Oprah Winfrey Show live via satellite. The frontman and reality TV star talks about his near-fatal brain hemorrhage (the previous month) and the associated difficulties he's suffered. Just a few days later, Michaels has what doctors call a 'warning stroke'. They also find a hole in Michaels heart (which they say is treatable and unrelated to his previous condition).
2010: 'Stairway To Heaven' was named the UK's favorite rock song in a survey by listeners to radio station Absolute Classic Rock. Led Zeppelin had two other tracks in the top 10; ‘Whole Lotta Love’ was voted at #4 and ‘Rock 'n' Roll,' from the group’s fourth album, was at #7.
2010: Howard Jones rejoins Killswitch Engage for a string of shows. Jones left the band abruptly during a tour the previous November and was replaced by All That Remains frontman Phil Labonte.
2010: Elvis Costello cancels a pair of planned summer concerts in Israel, citing the region's ongoing political struggles as the reason. In a statement, he says he's unwilling to face the nearly unavoidable backlash associated with a performance in Israel. Costello also acknowledges the Palestinians' "many despicable acts of violence perpetrated in the name of liberation."
2011: Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler revealed he once had sex with a man during his wild youth. In his memoir, 'Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?,' he revealed, "Gay sex just doesn't do it for me. I tried it one time when I was younger, but I just didn't dig it."
2012: Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger hosts and performs on the final episode of Saturday Night Live's 37th season. He is backed alternately by Arcade Fire and the Foo Fighters. It's Jagger's first time as host of the NBC comedy and his third appearance as the musical guest.
2012: Black Sabbath (without Bill Ward) play their first hometown show in 13 years at Birmingham's 02 Academy. The show sells out in 10 minutes.
2013: Bon Jovi's 'Army Of One' is the theme for the Discovery Channel's seven-part 'North America' series.
2013: A guitar played by John Lennon and George Harrison sold for $408,000 at auction. The custom-made instrument, built in 1966 by VOX was bought by an unidentified US buyer in New York. Harrison played ‘I Am the Walrus’, on the guitar in a scene from Magical Mystery Tour in 1967. Lennon used it in a video for 'Hello, Goodbye' later that year. After playing the guitar, Lennon gave it as a 25th birthday present to Alexis "Magic Alex" Mardas, a member of The Beatles' inner circle in the 1960s.
2014: Judas Priest released the single 'March Of The Damned.'
2015: The Circle, with Sammy Hagar, Chickenfoot and former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, drummer Jason Bonham and Wabos guitarist Vic Johnson, release their debut live album, 'At Your Service.'
2016: John Berry, an original member of the Beastie Boys, dies at a hospice in Danvers, MA. He played on the Beastie Boys' first seven-inch EP in '82 then left a short time later. Credited with originating the group's name, Berry was 52.
2017: Papa Roach release their 9th album 'Crooked Teeth.' The set features 'American Dreams' and 'Help' which topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart.
2017: A comic book store owned by System Of A Down drummer John Dolmayan reopens in Las Vegas. The new store is twice the size of the previous location. Dolmayan's comic book ventures go back to the early ‘90's.
2017: Linkin Park’s seventh album, 'One More Light' is released. It’s the group’s last studio effort with frontman Chester Bennington, who commits suicide months later. The set features 'Heavy' with guest vocals by Kiara Saulters.

May 20
1920: The Canadian Marconi Company, station XWA (Experimental Wireless Apparatus) in Montreal, Canada, gave what it would later claim to be the first scheduled radio broadcast in North America. Its call letters were changed to CFCF on November 4, 1920, and while the meaning of that call sign has never been officially confirmed, it is generally believed to be "Canada's First, Canada's Finest".
1954: Bill Haley And His Comets' 'Rock Around the Clock' was released. The record would find only limited success until the following year when it was included on the soundtrack of the film 'Blackboard Jungle.' The song is ranked #158 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
1960: The Silver Beetles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stu Sutcliffe, and Tommy Moore) played the first night of a short tour of Scotland backing singer Johnny Gentle, at Alloa Town Hall in Clackmannanshire. Three of the Silver Beetles adopted stage names: Paul McCartney became Paul Ramon, George Harrison was Carl Harrison, and Stuart Sutcliffe became Stuart de Stael.
1964: The Drifters' lead singer Rudy Lewis is found dead on the morning the group is scheduled to record 'Under The Boardwalk.' He is replaced by Johnny Moore, who was with a previous incarnation of the group, who sings lead on the song the next day. Lewis' death is widely reported as a drug overdose, although this is never confirmed by a medical authority.
1965: The Who performed at Town Hall in Kidderminster, West Midlands, England.
1966: George Harrison paid a visit to the Maharishi Yogi for the first time.
1966: The Beatles complete filming four song promo films for 'Paperback Writer' and three song promo films for 'Rain.' Two of the Paperback Writer promos are in color, the other two in black and white. Two Rain promos are in color and one in black and white. The color promos are for the US market, where color television broadcasting is being done, but the UK is still restricted to black and white only, and so the black and white films are for UK broadcast.
1966: Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of the Who grew tired of waiting for John Entwistle and Keith Moon to arrive for a concert. They take the stage at the Ricky Tick Club in Windsor, England with the bass player and drummer of the local band that opened the show. When Moon and Entwistle finally show up in the middle of the set, Townshend whacks Moon on the head with his guitar, leaving him with a bruised eye and in need of three stitches. Moon and Entwistle quit the band...for a week.
1966: Bob Dylan and The Band played at the ABC Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. Some members of the audience were unhappy with Dylan ‘going electric’, and attempted to overpower the band by playing their own harmonicas.
1966: Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band play their first gig, performing at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco.
1967: Jimi Hendrix signed with Reprise Records on the US Warner Brothers label. He would eventually give them three albums, 'Are You Experienced?,' 'Axis: Bold as Love' and 'Electric Ladyland.' The live L.P. 'Band of Gypsys' was released on Capitol Records a few months before his death.
1967: George Harrison visits the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for the first time.
1967: The Young Rascals score the second of their three Billboard #1 records when 'Groovin' reached the top. Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati wrote this song because their work schedule would only allow them to see their girlfriends on Sunday afternoons.
1967: The BBC announces that it will not play The Beatles' 'A Day In The Life,' claiming it contained explicit drug references. On the same day, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr go to the BBC to record interviews for the show 'Where It's At.'
1967: Pink Floyd performed at Floral Hall in Southport, Lancashire, England. The support act was Big Sleep.
1968: The Beatles, armed with a bunch of new songs after their visit to India, met at George Harrison's home in Esher, Surrey. They taped 23 new songs on George's 4-track recorder, many of which would end up on The Beatles' next two albums, (the White Album) and Abbey Road. The demos include: ‘Cry Baby Cry’, Revolution’, ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’, ‘Blackbird‘ and ‘Child of Nature’ (a Lennon song that became ‘Jealous Guy’).
1968: BBC 2 TV aired a short play 'The Pistol Shot', featuring a young dancer& artist named David Bowie.
1968: Pete Townshend of The Who marries his first and only wife, Karen Astley, daughter of composer Ted Astley. The couple would divorce in 2000.
1969: Led Zeppelin started three days of recording and mixing sessions at A&R Studios in New York City, which included the recording of 'Heartbreaker' and various other parts for new tracks for the group's forthcoming second album. The band were under pressure to finish sessions for their second album so they could release it in time for the Autumn market.
1969: Chicago singer Peter Cetera is attacked at a Dodgers/Cubs game at Dodger Stadium because of his long hair. He says, “Four marines didn’t like a long-haired rock ‘n’ roller in a baseball park, and of course I was a Cub fan, and I was in Dodger Stadium, and that didn’t do so well. I got in a fight and got a broken jaw in three places, and I was in intensive care for a couple of days. With my jaw wired together, I actually went on the road, and I was actually singing through my clenched jaw, which, to this day, is still the way I sing.” He was the band's lead singer and bass player before leaving for a solo career in 1985.
1969: Blood, Sweat & Tears﻿ 'Spinning Wheel' b/w 'More and More' 45 single is released. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in July of that year, remaining in the runner-up position for three weeks. In August of that year, the song topped the Billboard easy listening chart for two weeks. It was also a crossover hit, reaching #45 on the US R&B chart.
1970: The Beatles' last film, 'Let It Be' premiered in the U.K. It was basically a documentary of the group's break-up, including footage of their last public performance on the roof of their Apple Corps headquarters in London.
1970: George Harrison meets producer Phil Spector at Abbey Road Studios to play demos of the songs which will appear on his debut album, 'All Things Must Pass.'
1970: Mountain played at the Eastown Theater in Detroit, Michigan.
1971: Johnny Cash's 'Singing In Vietnam Talking Blues' b/w 'You've Got A New Light Shining' 45 single is released.
1971: Chicago bassist Peter Cetera had to undergo five hours of emergency surgery after he lost four teeth in a fight at a Chicago Cubs baseball game at Wrigley Field due to some of the Cubs fans objecting to Cetera’s long hair.
1972: Fleetwood Mac and McKendree Spring appeared at Ellis Auditorium in Memphis, Tennessee.
1972: T Rex were at #1 on the UK singles chart 'Metal Guru,' the band’s 4th and final chart topper. They also had the UK #1 album with 'Bolan Boogie.'
1972: Uriah Heep played at Liverpool Stadium in Liverpool, Merseyside, England.
1973: King Crimson appeared at the Civic Theatre in Ottawa, Canada.
1973: The Grateful Dead performed at Campus Stadium at the University of California at Santa Barbara. New Riders of the Purple Sage opened the show.
1974: KISS played at Foothills Arena in Calgary, Alberta.
1975: AC/DC headlined at Croxton Park Hotel in Thornbury, Australia.
1976: Aerosmith played at Municipal Auditorium in Mobile, Alabama.
1977: Rush performed at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago.
1977: The stage show 'Beatlemania' opens at the Winter Garden Theater in New York.
1978: Paul McCartney led his group Wings to the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for the third time with 'With A Little Luck.' It reached #5 in his homeland.
1978: 'The Buddy Holly Story' with Gary Busey playing Holly, opens in Holly's hometown of Lubbock just a day after the world premiere in Dallas.
1979: The Allman Brothers Band appeared at The Forum in Inglewood, California.
1979: KISS released their 20th single, 'I Was Made for Lovin' You.' It peaks at #11 on Billboard's Hot 100.
1980: Bob Dylan performed at the Franklin County Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Columbus, Ohio.
1980: KISS release their 8th studio album, 'Unmasked.'
1980: The Clash concert in Hamburg, West Germany is plagued by crowd violence. When Joe Strummer smashes one particularly bellicose fan over the head with his guitar, Strummer is arrested, but cleared after a test proves he was not drinking.
1981: Bruce Springsteen performed at Bingley Hall in Stafford, England during a European tour.
1983: David Bowie played at Festhalle in Frankfurt, Germany.
1983: Def Leppard released their 'Rock Of Ages' single.
1985: Savatage released their 2nd full-length album, 'Power of the Night.'
1985: Night Ranger's released their 3rd studio album '7 Wishes.'
1985: Robert Plant's 'Shaken 'n' Stirred' album is released. It reached #20 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, bolstered by the single, 'Little by Little,' which reached the Top 40 (#46) and topped the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for two weeks.
1985: Daryl Hall and John Oates headlined a concert for the grand re-opening of the legendary Apollo Theatre in Harlem. The performance was recorded and later released as a 'live' album which also featured two of the original Temptations, David Ruffin and Eddie Kendrick.
1987: Poison released the 'I Want Action' single.
1988: Priscilla Presley held a press conference to deny that Elvis is still alive.
1988: Pantera released their album, 'Power Metal.'
1988: Iron Maiden's 'Seventh Tour Of A Seventh Tour' stops in Toronto. Guns N' Roses is on the bill, with Zodiac Mindwarp and the LOve Reactio opeig the show.
1989: Ferry 'Cross The Mersey' by Ferry Aid started a three week run at #1 on the UK singles chart. The song was recorded to raise funds for the Hillsborough Football victims. Gerry Marsden, Paul McCartney, Holly Johnson and The Christians all featured on the recording.
1989: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were the musical guest on the season finale of Saturday Night Live where they performed 'Runnin’ Down a Dream' & 'Free Fallin.'
1991: Paul McCartney's 'Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)' album is released. It reached #14 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart, and #7 on the UK Albums chart. Initially released in a limited edition run in 1991, 'Unplugged (The Official Bootleg),'with artwork that recalls Снова в СССР's was reissued in a more permanent fashion in the late 1990s.
1992: After The National Endowment for the Arts refused to fund an explicit exhibition called Corporal Politics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Aerosmith bailed the show out with a ten-thousand dollar donation.
1993: Aerosmith filmed the video for their single 'Cryin’ at the Central Congregational Church in Fall River, MA where Lizzie Borden used to worship.
1995: Eagles' drummer Don Henley married model Sharon Summerall at his Malibu ranch. In attendance were Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, David Crosby, Randy Newman, Jimmy Buffett, Jackson Browne, Billy Joel, Sting and Sheryl Crow. The house band at the reception features Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Billy Joel and Tony Bennett.
1996: The much anticipated 'Until It Sleeps...' is released by Metallica.
1996: Melissa Etheridge is named Songwriter of the Year at the annual ASCAP Awards in Beverly Hills.
1997: Foo Fighters 'The Colour And The Shape,' is released. The group's sophomore set reaches the Top 10 in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Even though Foo Fighters are an American band, the word “Colour” in the album title is always spelled with the British spelling. This was a nod to producer Gil Norton, who is British.
1997: U2 caused traffic chaos in Kansas City, Missouri after they paid for traffic control to close down five lanes so they could shoot the video for 'Last Night On Earth'. Apart form major traffic jams a passing Cadillac crashed into a plate glass window trying to avoid a cameraman.
1997: Slaughter released their 4th studio album, 'Revolution.'
1998: Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward was taken to hospital in London after suffering a heart attack during a band rehearsal. He is temporarily replaced by Vinny Appice.
1998: Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee is sentenced to 180 days in jail, three years’ probation and a fine of $6,200 to be paid to a battered women’s shelter for kicking his soon-to-be ex-wife, Pamela Anderson, while she was holding their young son.
2000: The Guess Who perform in their home town of Winnipeg, leading to a reunion tour. The line-up featured Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings, Jim Kale, Donnie McDougall and Garry Peterson. Kale would be replaced by another former member, Bill Wallace, before the first show.
2001: R.E.M. started a two-week run at #1 on the UK album chart with 'Reveal.'
2002: Slash joined Motorhead onstage at Hollywood's House of Blues on May 20th to perform 'Born To Raise Hell'
2003: Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland was charged with cocaine and heroin possession after being arrested in L.A.
2003: Ted Nugent was dropped from the bill of the Muskegon Summer Celebration in his Michigan home state after he allegedly used racial slurs in a radio interview.
2003: Lynyrd Skynyrd releases 'Vicious Cycle,' their 12th studio album. It's the last to feature work by bassist Leon Wilkeson, who passed away during recording. Kid Rock appears on the album in a remake of 'Gimme Back My Bullets.'
2004: Nine Inch Nails boss Trent Reznor sued his old manager, alleging he was cheated out of millions since signing with J. Artist Management in 1989.
2005: Panic Channel with former Jane's Addiction/Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro performs at the first MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert in Los Angeles. Navarro recieves the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award in recognition of his longtime support of the MAP charity, which assists musicians recovering from drug addiction.
2005: KoRn makes an appearance at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in L.A. The trade show is geared toward the interactive-entertainment industry.
2006: The Beach Boys get a monument in their home town of Hawthorne, CA. It's California Historical Landmark No. 1041.
2006: Red Hot Chili Peppers perform at NASCAR's Nextel All-Star Challenge in Concord, NC. 2006: A benefit "picnic concert" featuring performances by Eric Clapton, The Who's Roger Daltrey, Queen's Roger Taylor and Pink Floyd bandmates Roger Waters and Nick Mason is held in Newbury, England. Proceeds aid the Countryside Alliance, a U.K. organization that promotes rural recreation.
2006: Ozzy Osbourne appears at the Prince's Trust 30th Birthday concert at the Tower of London. Prince Charles and other members of the British royal family attend the benefit event. "I have met lots of young people helped by the Prince's Trust and been inspired by all of them," Osbourne says of the charity, which provides financial aid and mentor programs for young people.
2006: A benefit "picnic concert" featuring performances by Eric Clapton, The Who's Roger Daltrey, Queen's Roger Taylor and one-time Pink Floyd bandmates Roger Waters and Nick Mason is held in Newbury, England. Proceeds aid the Countryside Alliance, a U.K. organization that promotes rural recreation.
2006: It's Levon Helm Day in Woodstock, NY. Helm, best known as the drummer/singer for The Band, is a long time Woodstock resident.
2006: Tool were at #1 on the US album chart with ‘10,000 Days’ the American bands second #1 album.
2006: The Finnish band Lordi wins the Eurovision Song Contest - the first heavy metal band ever to do so.
2007: Rush singer & bassist Geddy Lee made an appearance on Bob and Doug McKenzie Two-Four Anniversary special which aired in Canada. A short film of Bob and Doug would be shown as an intro a song on their tour that year.
2007: Former Creed singer Scott Stapp is arrested at his Boca Raton, FL. mansion on suspicion of domestic assault with intent to commit a felony. Police respond to a 911 call placed by Stapp's wife, one-time Miss New York USA Jaclyn Nesheiwat, who alleges that an intoxicated Stapp threw a glass bottle at her face and nearly hit her. Stapp spends the night in jail. Later, he expresses regret. "I am truly sorry and seek forgiveness from my wife," writes the singer in a statement. He adds that "things were stated to the police in the heat of anger that were not completely accurate."
2007: A letter from the Organizers of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel urges the Rolling Stones not to perform in Israel "until the time comes when it ends its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory."
2007: Linkin Park went to #1 on the UK album chart with Minutes To Midnight the bands 5th Top 20 UK album. Also a US chart topper.
2008: 3 Doors Down release their self-titled 4th studio album. It features the hit lead single 'It's Not My Time.'
2008: King's X's 'XV' album is released.
2008: BMI's 56th annual Pop Awards are held in L.A. Hinder picks up the performing-rights organization's Song of the Year award for garnering the most airplay with 'Lips Of An Angel.' Nickelback has three songs honored ('Far Away,''Rockstar' and 'If Everyone Cared') for being among the year's most played.
2008: The Steve Miller Band's first-ever DVD package, 'Live From Chicago,' is in stores. The three-disc set includes footage from two '07 concerts, a behind-the-scenes documentary and live renditions of 12 of the group's hits.
2009: Green Day's '21st Century Breakdown' makes its debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The disc claims the top spot after moving 215,000 copies in only three days. It's the group's second chart topper. "'American Idiot' was the first.
2009: Elton John delivers an impassioned keynote speech in support of HIV/AIDS research at the 2009 BIO International Convention in Atlanta. "Let us demand that researchers have the resources to undertake every new investigation of every promising scientific approach," says John.
2009: Former Creedence Clearwater Revival front man John Fogarty announced to the press that he had finished his latest CD, 'The Return of the Blue Ridge Rangers,' a sequel to his 1973 solo album. Released on August 25th, it would peak at #25 on the Billboard 200.
2009: KISS, Carlos Santana and Queen's Brian May are guest performers on the season finale of FOX's 'American Idol.' Kris Allen wins the competition over the heavily favored Adam Lambert.
2009: Marilyn Manson released his 7th studio album, 'The High End of Low.'
2010: Weezer is on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The one-time sedate frontman Rivers Cuomo drops to his knees during a rowdy performance of "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To.' DeGeneres describes the performance as "fantastic."
2011: U.D.O. released their 13th studio album, 'Rev-Raptor.'
2013: Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek died after a long battle with bile duct cancer at a hospital in Rosenheim, Germany at the age of 74.
2014: California Breed, with guitarist Andrew Watt, and a pair of Black Country Communion alum, bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes and drummer Jason Bonham, release out their self-titled debut album.
2014: Former Heart bassist Mark Andes and drummer Denny Carmassi file a lawsuit against the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame because they were left out of the band's '13 induction ceremony-but their photographs were used in promotional materials. The pair spent nine years with Heart and appeared on all their Grammy-nominated tracks and half their hit singles.
2014: Prince Rupert Loewenstein, the Rolling Stone's business manager and financial advisor from 1968 to 2007, died at the age of 80 after a long illness. 2014: California Breed released their only album. The 3 piece band featured Glenn Hughes, Jason Bonham and guitarist Andrew Watt.
2015: Whitesnake release 'The Purple Album,' a tribute to Deep Purple featuring songs from singer David Coverdale’s two albums with the band. “It’s a tribute. A homage. It’s a huge thank you from me to Deep Purple for the opportunity I was given over 40 years ago,” states Coverdale. We can’t wait to play these songs in concert!”
2015: The Rolling Stones played a surprise gig at the 1,300-capacity Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles during which they performed the entire 'Sticky Fingers' album. The audience included Jack Nicholson, Bruce Willis, Harry Styles, Leonard Cohen and Patricia Arquette.
2015: Following final week appearances by Bob Dylan and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, it's the Foo Fighters who are the last musical guest on The Late Show with David Letterman. Dressed in tuxedos, they perform 'Everlong' while a montage of classic clips are shown. Letterman, a 33-year late night vet, calls the Foo Fighters his "favorite band."
2016: Mudcrutch release '2.' The Tom Petty led group was his pre-Heartbreakers band.
2016: The inaugural Rock n' Derby takes place in Schaghticoke, NY. The three-day event, which combines demolition derbies and Hard Rock, features Five Finger Death Punch, Halestorm and Shinedown.
2016: Dirk Verbeuren makes his live debut with Megadeth at the Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, OH. He fills in for Chris Adler who is on tour with Lamb Of God.
2016: Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready and his Mad Season collaborators, Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan and Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin, play the 14th annual "Flight To Mars" benefit concerts in Seattle. Proceeds from the two-day event benefit the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. McCready suffers from Crohn's disease.
2016: The Encyclopedia Of KISS, written by Brett Weiss, is released.
2016: The National release an anthology album of 59 Grateful Dead covers called 'Day of the Dead,' with appearances by Lucinda Williams, Bruce Hornsby, Courtney Barnett and Wayne Coyne. Proceeds go to the Red Hot Organization, which helps fight AIDS.
2016: Barenaked Ladies release the live album 'BNL Rocks Red Rocks,' which was recorded on June 10, 2015, at the famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, during the band's Last Summer On Earth tour. Guests include former Men at Work frontman Colin Hay and Violent Femmes sax player Blaise Garza, who join BNL for a rendition of Hay's 1982 hit 'Who Can It Be Now?'
2017: Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash performs at the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association's Beastly Ball to benefit the new Species Conservation Action Network. Slash is an animal rights activist who also collects exotic reptiles.
2017: At the Palladium in London, The Cranberries play their last show with lead singer Dolores O'Riordan, whose health issues for cancellation of the remaining dates. She dies on January 15, 2018.

May 21
1955: Chuck Berry records 'Maybellene' (essentially a reworking of 'Ida Red') in Chicago with Blues great Willie Dixon on bass. The song is Berry's first hi, peaking at #5 on the US Pop chart and #1 on the R&B chart. In the heyday of Pat Boone, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and The McGuire Sisters, it was one of the few Rock 'n' Roll songs to get any radio air play that year.
1963: The Beatles recorded two BBC radio programs at the Playhouse Theatre in London. They recorded five songs for 'Saturday Club' and six songs for 'Steppin' Out.'
1964: The Beatles (Die Beatles) 'Sie Liebt Dich (She Loves You)' b/w 'I'll Get You' 45 single is released. The German language version of 'She Loves You.' The lyrics were translated to German language by Camillo Felgen, a Luxembourger singer, lyricist and television/radio presenter, upon request by EMI's German producer Otto Demler. The German sub-label of EMI, Odeon Records, persuaded George Martin and Brian Epstein, insisting that the Beatles "should record their biggest songs in German so that they could sell more records there." The single peaked at #97 in the Billboard Hot 100.
1965: The Who’s 2nd single, 'Anyway Anyhow Anywhere' backed with 'Daddy Rolling Stone' is released in the UK on Brunswick. Derek Johnson in New Musical Express calls is “a wild racer, with just about every conceivable gimmick...it commands attention and should do well.”
1965: Ten years into the Rock Era, it looks like it's here to stay. Time magazine reports on the rock revival with the cover story, 'Rock 'n' Roll: The Sound of the Sixties.'
1966: Bruce Springsteen and his band The Castiles perform at Freehold Regional High School in New Jersey. All the band members are juniors at the school.
1966: The Mamas And The Papas went to the top of the Billboard album chart with 'If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears,' which contained the singles 'Monday Monday' and 'California Dreamin.' The LP was initially credited to the grammatically incorrect The Mama's and The Papa's, which was corrected on later printings.
1967: Jimi Hendrix signed with Reprise Records on the Warner Brothers label.
1967: Pink Floyd was at Studio 3, EMI Studios, Abbey Road, St. John’s Wood in London to record songs for their debut album, 'Piper At The Gates Of Dawn.'
1968: The Monkees appeared at The Olympia Stadium in Salt Lake City.
1968: Rolling Stone Brian Jones appeared at Great Marlborough Street Magistrates court in London on a charge of possession of marijuana, Jones was released on £200 bail.
1969: The Beatles officially announce the appointment of Allen Klein and his ABKCO to handle their financial affairs. Earlier, Klein took over management of the Rolling Stones.
1969: Yes played at Harrods Way Inn in London.
1970: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released the protest single 'Ohio,' written and composed by Neil Young in reaction to the Kent State shootings of May 4, 1970, when unarmed college students were shot by the Ohio National Guard.
1970: The Allman Brothers Band appeared at Seabreeze High School Auditorium in Daytona Beach, Florida.
1971: Paul McCartney releases 'Ram,' which, unlike his first solo LP, is not a one-man show. His wife Linda is on vocals and he enlists session men David Spinozza, Hugh McCracken on guitar and bass along with drummer Denny Seiwell. The album went on to reach #2 on the album chart and sell one million copies in the U.S.
1971: Free announced that they were splitting up. They would reform before the end of the year before splitting up for good in 1973.
1971: King Crimson played at Regal Cinema in Cambridge, England.
1972: The Doors, Pink Floyd, The Faces, Family, Curved Air, Atomic Rooster, The Kinks, Rory Gallagher, Uriah Heep, Country Joe McDonald, Buddy Miles, Status Quo, Brinsley Schwarz, Spencer Davis, The Strawbs and Humble Pie all appeared at the 2nd British Rock Meeting, Insel Grun in Germersheim, West Germany. The festival was due to take place in Mannheim, West Germany, but after protests from the locals, the concert actually took place in nearby Germersheim.
1973: Edgar Winter's 'Frankenstein' is the #1 Billboard Pop Hit.
1973: ‎Deep Purple‬ released the 'Smoke On The Water' single.
1973: David Bowie performed at the Theatre Royal in Norwich, England.
1974: Two would-be concert promoters were arrested by police in on fraud charges in connection with selling mail order tickets for a forthcoming Elten John show. (Elten with an E and not an O). Police took away over $12,000 in checks.
1975: ZZ Top appeared at Boston’s Music Hall.
1975: Elton John's album 'Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy' is certified Gold.
1976: The Rolling Stones open a 6-night stand at London's Earl's Court Theatre. The indifference of the Stones' performance causes them to be targeted as "dinosaurs" by the growing British Punk movement.
1976: Aerosmith receive a gold LP for 'Rocks.' The album will eventually go to #3 on the album chart.
1976: Blue Öyster Cult's 4th studio album, 'Agents of Fortune' is released. It reached #29 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart, and #26 on the UK Albums chart.
1977: Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours' album takes over the #1 spot from the Eagles 'Hotel California.'
1977: Rod Stewart was at #1 on the singles chart with the double A sided single 'I Don’t Want To Talk About It / First Cut Is The Deepest.’
1977: Grateful Dead performed at Lakeland Civic Center in Lakeland, Florida, a show that can be heard on Dick’s Picks #29.
1978: Black Sabbath played at City Hall in Newcastle, England.
1979: The Charlie Daniels Band 'The Devil Went Down To Georgia' b/w 'Rainbow Ride' 45 single is released. The song was the band's biggest pop hit, reaching #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
1979: Elton John became the first solo Rock artist to tour Russia when he played the first of eight concerts. The first stop is Leningrad where Soviet officials monitor the show to make sure that Elton doesn't kick over his piano stool during 'Bennie And The Jets.' He was currently enjoying chart success back in the USA with 'Mama Can't Buy You Love,' his first Top 10 hit in 2½ years.
1979: Saxon release their debut album.
1980: A thief breaks into Electric Lady Studios in New York City, the recording studio built by Jimi Hendrix and steals five Hendrix Gold records. They are for the albums 'Are You Experienced?,' 'Axis: Bold as Love,' 'Cry of Love,' 'Rainbow Bridge' and 'Live at Monterey.'
1980: Bob Dylan performed his final gospel show in Dayton, OH. A second show there was canceled due to poor ticket sales.
1980: Joe Strummer of the British punk group the Clash is arrested in Hamburg, Germany for hitting a fan on the head with his guitar. A fight broke out between the band and the audience following a concert. He is released after an alcohol test proves negative.
1981: Iron Maiden embark on their first tour of Japan with four sold out shows.
1981: Reggae star Bob Marley receives a state funeral in Jamaica and is buried with honors. Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga delivers the eulogy: "His voice was an omnipresent cry in our electronic world. His sharp features, majestic looks, and prancing style a vivid etching on the landscape of our minds. Bob Marley was never seen. He was an experience which left an indelible imprint with each encounter. Such a man cannot be erased from the mind. He is part of the collective consciousness of the nation."
1982: Riot released their 4th album 'Restless Breed.' It's the first with vocalist Rhett Forrester.
1982: Queen release their album 'Hot Space.' It peaks at #22 on Billboard's 200 album chart.
1982: The Hacienda Club was opened in Manchester, England. Madonna made her UK TV debut at the club when C4 music show The Tube was broadcast live. It was home to many Manchester acts and Oasis, Happy Mondays, U2, The Smiths, Charlatans, James, M People, who all played at the club.
1983: David Bowie topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the second time with 'Let's Dance' featuring guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. It was Bowie's first single to reach #1 on both sides of the Atlantic. The music video was made by David Mallet on location in Australia including a bar in Carinda in New South Wales, featured Bowie playing with his band while impassively watching an Aboriginal couple’s struggles against metaphors of Western cultural imperialism.
1983: Def Leppard make their only appearance on American Bandstand and perform 'Photograph' and 'Rock of Ages.'
1983: Def Leppard peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 with 'Photograph.'
1983: ZZ Top releases their video for 'Gimme All Your Lovin,' which marks the first appearance of The Eliminator, which is Billy Gibbons' 1933 Ford Hot Rod. The car appears in 3 other ZZ Top videos and becomes closely associated with the band. Gibbons has another one built just like it to bring on tour.
1983: 'Little Red Corvette' goes to #6 in the US, giving Prince his first Top 10 hit on the Hot 100. The video is one of the first by a black artist to go in hot rotation on MTV.
1985: The superstar Hear N' Aid recording session takes place.
1987: Iron Maiden ended their tour in support of 'Somewhere in Time' at the Festival Hall in Osaka, Japan.
1987: Anvil released their 4th studio album, 'Strength of Steel.'
1988: Cinderella release their 2nd album 'Long Cold Winter.'
1988: White Lion peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 with 'Wait.'
1988: Prince scored his first UK #1 album with 'Lovesexy.' The cover, based on a photo by Jean Baptiste Mondino, caused some controversy upon release as it depicts Prince in the nude. Some record stores refused to stock it, or wrapped the album in black.
1996: The Wallflowers 2nd album, 'Bringing Down The Horses,' is released.
1996: Soundgarden's 5th album, 'Down On The Upside,' is released.
1996: Scorpions 13th studio album 'Pure Instinct' is released.
1996: Metalica released their 13th single, 'Until It Sleeps.'
1996: Styx and Kansas kicked off a three-month tour at the Five Seasons Center in Cedar Rapids, IA. This was Styx’s first tour with their classic lineup in 13 years.
2000: Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots marries a model named Mary Forsberg. Celebrity guests include Weiland's bandmates and Anthony Kiedis of Red Hot Chili Peppers.
2001: U2 lead singer Bono and his wife Ali welcome a new baby boy.
2001: Producer, arranger and keyboardist Tommy Eyre died of cancer aged 51. He worked with George Harrison, Wham!, Dusty Springfield, and BB King. Eyre played and arranged Joe Cocker’s hit 'With A Little Help From My Friends' and Gerry Rafferty’s 'Baker Street.'
2001: Izzy Stradlin released his 4th studio album, 'River.'
2002: Ted Nugent releases a hunting-based cook book called 'Kill It And Grill It.'
2002: Motley Crue are sued by former producer Tom Werman, who claims the band owes unpaid royalties from the 'Shout At The Devil,' 'Theater Of Pain' and 'Girls, Girls, Girls' albums. Werman is seeking $400,000 plus court costs.
2002: Dio release their 9th studio album 'Killing the Dragon.'
2002: Pooson released their 6th studio album, 'Hollyweird.'
2003: Ike Turner is refused entry into Japan because of a past drug conviction.
2006: A businessman shells out $117,000 at a charity auction in Hertfordshire, England, to eat a meal prepared by Ozzy Osbourne. "I hope that guy knows all I can f**kin' cook is beans on toast," says Ozzy.
2007: Creed singer Scott Stapp was arrested at his Florida home and charged with assault. The 33-year-old was held without bail following the charges, which related to a domestic assault.
2007: Velvet Revolver's 'She Builds Quick Machines,' the first single from their 'Libertad' album, hits radio.
2007: Ozzy Osbourne makes the first on two consecutive appearances on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live to support his album, 'Black Rain.'
2008: Steven Tyler of Aerosmith checks into a rehab clinic in Pasadena, CA to kick prescription medication dependency that started as he was recovering from surgeries that repaired damage to his feet.
2008: Pink Floyd win the Polar Music Prize, the Swedish music award. The honor recognizes Floyd's "monumental contribution over decades to the fusion of art and music in the development of popular culture." Past award winners include Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.
2008: At BMI's Film & Television Awards in L.A. the performing-rights organization bestows trophies on The Who's Pete Townshend for composing the theme songs to CBS' CSI, CSI: NY and CSI: Miami.
2008: David Cook becomes the first 'Rocker' to win American Idol. He beats out teen-heartthrob David Archuletta. On the season finale, ZZ Top performs 'Sharp Dressed Man' with Cook. Graham Nash and Bryan Adams also appear.
2009: Green Day blasts retail chain Wal-Mart for refusing to stock '21st Century Breakdown' due to explicit lyrics. "They won't carry our record because they wanted us to censor it," explains frontman Billie Joe Armstrong. "We just said no." Despite Wal-Mart's ban, '21st Century Breakdown' is the #1 album in the U.S.
2009: Sting and Sheryl Crow are among the performers at the 'One Night Live' concert in Toronto. The event raises more than $1.8 million for the Women & Babies Program at the city's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
2010: U2's lead singer Bono had emergency spinal surgery after suffering an injury while preparing for tour dates. The 50-year-old singer was treated at a specialist neurosurgery clinic in Munich and was expected to stay there for a number of days.
2010: Y&T released their 12th studio album, 'Facemelter.'
2011: Bob Dylan came out on top as both the most inspirational individual for poets and the dream collaborative partner, in a survey carried out by The Foyle Poetry Society. The extensive survey questioned poets asking which musician and which genre of music most inspired their writing. The young people, aged between 11 and 17, from countries throughout the world also voted for artists such as David Bowie, Regina Spektor, Florence and the Machine, Leonard Cohen, Morrissey and Pete Doherty.
2012: The US Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from a Boston University student who was successfully sued by the Recording Industry Association of America for illegally sharing music on peer-to-peer networks. In 2009, a jury ordered Joel Tenenbaum to pay $675,000, or $22,500 for each song he illegally downloaded and shared.
2013: Uriah Heep and Spiders From Mars bassist Trevor Bolder dies of cancer at the age of 62. Bolder joined David Bowie's backing band in 1971 before replacing John Wetton in Heep five years later. "Trevor was a wonderful musician and a major inspiration for whichever band he was working with," says Bowie. "But he was foremostly a tremendous guy, a great man."
2013: U.D.O. released their 14th studio album, 'Steelhammer.'
2013: 30 Seconds To Mars release their 4th album, 'Love Lust Faith + Dreams.'
2013: Fight Or Flight, with Disturbed guitarist Dan Donegan and drummer Mike Wengren, issue their debut single, 'First Of The Last.'
2013: Trevor Bolder, the bassist in David Bowie’s legendary 1970s backing band Spiders From Mars, died from cancer at the age of 62. Bolder appeared on the studio albums 'Hunky Dory' (1971), 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars' (1972), 'Aladdin Sane' (1973), and 'Pin Ups' (1973). He joined Uriah Heep in 1976, replacing John Wetton.
2014: Spirit files a lawsuit against Led Zeppelin claiming the guitar arpeggio opening of 'Stairway To Heaven' infringes Spirit's 1968 instrumental track 'Taurus.' Zeppelin opened for Spirit in 1969.
2014: KISS perform on the Season 13 finale of 'American Idol' where they are joined by Rock leaning finalist Caleb Johnson, who ends up winning the competition.
2014: Jack White appears on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. The accompanying article is titled: The Strange World of a Rock & Roll Willy Wonka.
2014: Guns N' Roses begin their 'No Trickery! An Evening of Destruction' Las Vegas Residency.
2015: Jon Bon Jovi performs his song 'Reunion' during the graduation ceremony at Rutgers University in Camden, NJ. The singer also receives an honorary doctor of letters for his work in philanthropy. The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation addresses issues of hunger, homelessness and poverty.
2015: Black Sabbath received a lifetime achievement prize at the Ivor Novello songwriting awards. Guitarist Tony Iommi picked up the trophy, confirming the band would embark on their "final tour" next year.
2016: Auctioneers at Julien's auction house in New York sold one of Elvis Presley's acoustic guitars for $354,400. Other items in the sale included John Lennon's handwritten lyrics for The Beatles' 'Being For The Benefit of Mr Kite' which brought $354,400
2016: Former Megadeth drummer Nick Menza dies after collapsing on stage during an L.A. performance by his progressive Jazz trio OHM. The 51-year-old succumbs to heart failure.
2017: Twenty One Pilots win Top Rock Artist, Top Duo/Group, Top Radio Songs, Top Rock Song ('Heathens') and the Billboard Chart Achievement honors at the Billboard Music Awards. Metallica garner the Top Rock Album award for 'Hardwired… To Self-Destruct' and Coldplay take home the Top Tour trophy.
2017: The dedication of the permanent memorial at the site of The Station is held on Cowesett Avenue in West Warwick, RI. In ’03, during a Great White performance at the nightclub, pyrotechnics started a fire which killed one-hundred people and injured dozens more

May 22
1954: Bob Dylan is bar mitzvahed in Hibbing, Minnesota.
1955: Police in Bridgeport, Connecticut cancel a dance at the Ritz ballroom featuring Fats Domino. Authorities say the cancellation is because they discovered that "Rock and Roll dances might be featured" and justify their action by citing "a recent near riot at the New Haven Arena" where Rock 'n' Roll dances were held.
1958: Jerry Lee Lewis lands in London. After being badgered by the press, he admits that he's married to his cousin (actually, second cousin twice removed) and that Myra is only 13-years old. The ensuing scandal forces the cancellation of Lewis' U.K. tour and eventually derails his career. The London Morning Star runs an editorial calling Lewis "an undesirable alien" and calls for his deportation, leading to his British tour being canceled after just three of the scheduled thirty-seven performances. Jerry Lee would later say, "When this so-called news broke, it was like I had committed an unforgivable sin. I did not."
1965: The Beatles went to #1 on the US singles chart with 'Ticket To Ride.' The song was the third of six #1 singles in a row on the American charts, a record at the time.
1965: Kinks guitar player Dave Davies is knocked unconscious when he falls into drummer Mick Avory's cymbal during a London concert. The group cancels the remainder of their UK tour.
1966: At age 16, Bruce Springsteen records for the first time as a member of the Castilles. The song 'That's What You Get' is never released.
1967: The Monkees 3rd album, 'Headquarters'is released. It reached #1 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart.
1968: Cream's 2nd album 'Disraeli Gears' goes gold.
1971: The Rolling Stones album 'Sticky Fingers' started a four-week run at #1 on the US charts, the group's second US #1 album. The artwork for 'Sticky Fingers,' which, on the original vinyl release, featured a working zipper that opened to reveal cotton briefs was conceived by American pop artist Andy Warhol. The cover, a photo of Joe Dallesandro's crotch clad in tight blue jeans, was assumed by many fans to be an image of Mick Jagger. The album also features the first usage of the "Tongue and Lip Design" designed by John Pasche.
1971: The Flying Burrito Brothers self-titled 3rd album is released. It reached #176 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart.
1972: The Guess Who record their 'Live At The Paramount' album in Seattle, Washington.
1976: Wings started a five week run at #1 on the US singles chart with 'Silly Love Songs', McCartney's fifth US #1 since leaving The Beatles. It made #2 in the UK.
1976: The Doobie Brothers album, 'Takin' It To The Streets,' peaks at #8 and sells over a million copies.
1977: Blondie (and Television) begin their U.K. tour in Glasgow, Scotland.
1979: Cheap Trick's breakthrough album 'Live At Budokan,' featurin' "I Want You To Want 'e" goes platinum. The album does so well as an import, Epic Records releases it in the U.S.
1980: U2 kicked off their 23 date '11 O'Clock Tick Tock' tour at The Hope & Anchor in London.
1981: Hall And Oates' 'Kiss on My List' is awarded a Gold record. The song will make it to #1 in the US and become the first of three chart toppers the duo will amass in the next 12 months.
1982: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes debuts from Van Halen’s 'Dancing In The Street' at #74 & Journey’s 'Still They Ride' at #72. Rainbow’s 'Stone Cold' was #50, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' 'Crimson And Clover' at #21, and Toto’s 'Rosanna' was #20. ‬
1989: Independent record promoter Ralph Tashjian became the first person ever convicted under the 29-year-old US payola law. He pleaded guilty in Los Angeles to distributing cash and cocaine to a radio station in order to get airplay for records by Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello and Laura Branigan.
1990: Soundgarden's 1st video release, 'Louder Than Live' is out. It features songs performed live at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, California on December 7, 1989 and December 10, 1989.
1992: Ringo Starr released 'Time Takes Time,' his first studio album in nine years. To promote it, Starr toured with an all-star band that included his son Zak on drums, along with Burton Cummings, Dave Edmunds and Todd Rundgren.
1993: Dave Mustaine of Megadeth appeared on the cover of Kerrang Magazine.
1996: Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant launch into a drunken verbal assault of first class passengers on a transatlantic British Airways flight. Among those on board were actors Telly Savalas and Dudley Moore.
1997: Fleetwood Mac performs on MTV's Unplugged. The performance is played on both MTV and VH1.
1999: Ticket demand turns a five show gig in July at New Jersey's Continental Airlines Arena into a fifteen show stand for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. The reunion shows set the record for one stay at a single arena.
2000: The ASCAP awarded Steely Dan the Founders Award, the ASCAP’s top honor for lifetime achievement in songwriting.
2001: The three remaining members of Rage Against The Machine and ex-Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell solidify plans to record a full length album together, and Audioslave was born.
2001: Bon Jovi release their album, 'One Wild Night Live 1985–2001.' It includes covers of Neil Young’s 'Rockin' In The Free World' and The Boomtown Rats’ 'I Don't Like Mondays.'
2001: Ozzy Osbourne's appearance in 'Little Nicky' is among the performances nominated in the Best Cameo in a Movie category of the 2001 MTV Movie Awards.
2001: Mötley Crüe release 'The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band.' The book becomes a New York Times Bestseller and is being made into a movie.
2001: Staind release their 3rd studio album, 'Break The Cycle.' Featuring the single, 'It's Been Awhile,' the set sells over four-million copies within a year.
2002: Alien Ant Farm's tour bus crashes in Spain. The driver is killed. Band members and crew suffer injuries.
2004: Dozens of people are sent to the hospital and more than 200 are treated for heat exhaustion (temperatures near 90 degrees) at a music festival in Washington, D.C. An estimated crowd of 60,000 attend the show, which includes performances by the Offspring, Lostprophets, P.O.D. and Papa Roach.
2005: Dave Matthews Band hit #1 on the US album chart with 'Stand Up.' The album entered the chart at #1 with sales of 465,000.
2006: The Seattle City Council unanimously votes to name a five-acre tract after hometown hero, Jimi Hendrix. The guitarist's stepsister, Janie, calls the honor "long overdue."
2006: The J. Geils Band's entire original lineup perform together in their hometown of Boston at a private party celebrating bassist Dick Klein's 60th birthday. It reportedly is the first time the six members play together onstage in more than 20 years.
2006: Led Zeppelin receive the Polar Music Prize, Sweden's most prestigious music award. The award is the result of the group's "playful and experimental music [whose] eclectic elements" helped "define the genre of Hard Rock." The surviving members are presented with a check worth $123,000 by the King of Sweden.
2006: Green Day earn the Creative Voice Award at the 23rd annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards. The performance-rights/collection organization's award goes to the group or performer whose work has a sense of creativity and a desire to contribute to the community.
2007: The Smashing Pumpkins play their first show since December 2000 in Paris. Original members, frontman Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, are augmented by Ginger Reyes (bass), Jeff Schroeder (guitars) and Lisa Harriton (keyboards).
2007: Ozzy Osbourne releases his 10th studio album 'Black Rain.' "It's a well-put-together album," says Ozzy. "I took my time on (it) and (guitarist) Zakk (Wylde) plays some amazing stuff as always." The album was recorded at Osbourne's home studio in L.A.
2008: Pink Floyd's David Gilmour and Radiohead are recognized for their songwriting accomplishments at Britain's prestigious Ivor Novello Awards in London. Gilmour takes a Lifetime Achievement trophy.
2008: PlayStation 3 video game is in stores. The soundtrack features KoRn's 'Haze.'
2009: ABC's Good Morning America kicks-off their summer concert series with a live performance by Green Day in New York's Central Park.
2009: White Stripes drummer Meg White married Jackson Smith at ex-husband and bandmate Jack White's Nashville home. Jack and Meg White were married for four years and divorced in 2000. The event was part of a double wedding, which also saw Jack Lawrence and Jo McCaughey marry. Lawrence plays bass in Jack White's other musical projects, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather.
2010: VH1 airs 'Dedicated To Dio' in honor of the life and musical career of Ronnie James Dio who passed away from stomach cancer a week earlier.
2011: U2 earns the Top Touring Act prize for their 360 tour at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. Top Rock Artist is Train who also win Top Rock Song for 'Hey Soul Sister.'
2011: Pop Evil, apparently frustrated with their distributor (Universal Music), tear up their contract on stage at the Rock on the Range festival in Columbus, OH. Spin.com calls it one of the "10 Best Moments of Rock on the Range." The group later signs with eOne Music.
2011: Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer made his second appearance on The Simpsons where he appeared as himself.
2011: Vinnie Vincent, ex-Kiss and Vinnie Vincent Invasion guitarist, is arrested in Smyrna, Tennessee after his wife, Diane Cusano, charges that he slapped her face, grabbed her hair, dragged her through shattered glass, and, as she tried to escape from their property, repeatedly hurled her to the ground. A SWAT team is brought to his home after he refuses to open the door for four hours. Eventually, Vincent surrenders, but in a search of the home police find four dead dogs in sealed containers. Vincent and his wife claim that bad weather had delayed their burials. His wife is now deceased from complications of chronic alcoholism, and Vincent’s whereabouts are a mystery.
2012: Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conpirators release the 'Apocalyptic Love' album. It went to #1 in New Zealand, #2 in Canada and #4 in the US. ‬
2012: 64-year-old Gregg Allman told TV host Piers Morgan of his plans to marry wife number seven, a 24-year-old British woman.
2012: 'Ya Know?,' an album of Joey Ramone demos, is released. Joan Jett, Steve Van Zandt, Richie Ramone and various members of Cheap Trick contributed to the album's production. The title mimics the phrase Ramone, who passed in 2001 of lymphoma, characteristically finished each of his sentences.
2012: British newspaper The Sun, reported that Mick Jagger's lavish Caribbean holiday home on Mustique was available for hire, at £9,500 a week, but added that Mick, demanded full details of applicants’ backgrounds, including professions, before they were even considered. Bandmate Keith Richards' beach-front Caribbean holiday home at Parrot Cay Resort in the Turks and Caicos Islands was also available for rent, at £35,000 a week.
2013: Maria Alekhina, an imprisoned member of the Punk band Pussy Riot, goes on an 11-day hunger strike after a Berezniki, Russia judge refuses to allow the performer to attend her parole hearing. Alekhina and Pussy Riot's Nadezhda Tolokonnikova are serving two-year sentences on trumped up charges of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred."
2013: Carole King is presented with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at the White House by President Obama, who calls the singer-songwriter a "living legend." "It is yet another of the many important messages to young women that women matter, women make a difference," King says in an interview with Associated Press
2014: Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie was honoured with a lifetime achievement at this year's Ivor Novello songwriting awards. McVie played with Fleetwood Mac for 28 years and wrote some of their most famous songs, including 'Don't Stop' and 'Little Lies.'
2014: After Jon Bon Jovi expresses an interest in buying the Buffalo Bills football team and moving them to Toronto, an opposition group, 12th Man Thunder, enlist local businesses to establish "Bon Jovi-free zone" in Buffalo.
2014: Paul McCartney was hospitalized for a virus that caused him to cancel a string of dates in the Orient. He was treated in a Tokyo hospital and later made a complete recovery.
2015: Neil Young previews 'Rock Starbucks' on the Democracy Now website. The track, from his album 'The Monsanto Years,' is highly critical of the ubiquitous coffee chain. "Still no latte's for me folks. I am not going to support a company that actively tries to defeat the will of the people by fighting their right to know what is in the food they eat," writes Young, explaining the song.
2015: Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson announces he's signed a memorandum of understanding for the relaunch of African airline Air Djibouti, to be operated by his Cardiff Aviation. The airline began service in 1963 but ceased in 2002. Dickinson, a pilot, founded Cardiff Aviation in '12 as an aircraft maintenance business.
2016: The second annual Ride For Ronnie Motorcycle Ride And Concert raises $50,000 for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund.
2016: Twenty One Pilots' 'Blurryface' is named to the top album at the Billboard Music Awards. The reunited Go-Go's perform 'We Got The Beat' but the Madonna/Stevie Wonder tribute to Prince is a disaster.
2016: A guitar that Elvis Presley was given by his father sold for $334,000 at an auction in New York. It was thought that Vernon Presley changed the finish on the Gibson Dove to black after his son earned a black belt in karate. Presley later gave the guitar to a fan during a concert in North Carolina in 1975. Auctioneers Julien's also sold John Lennon's handwritten lyrics for The Beatles' 'Being For The Benefit of Mr Kite!' for $354,400 and a red neoprene vinyl jacket which Michael Jackson wore for his 1996-97 HIStory world tour which sold for $256,000.

May 23
1953: Bill Haley And His Comets saw their first release for Essex Records, 'Crazy Man, Crazy' enter the Cashbox Best Sellers chart at #19. The success will be short lived however, as the record would fall out of the Top 50 two weeks later.
1960: The Everly Brothers' 'Cathy's Clown' hits #1, where it has a five week stay. The duo had also accomplished this feat 1958 when 'All I Have To Do Is Dream' spent over a month at the top position. It also spent seven weeks at #1 in the UK. It became the Everly Brothers' biggest hit single and their 3rd and final US chart topper, selling eight million copies worldwide.
1963: The Beatles, touring with Roy Orbison, performed at the Odeon Cinema in Nottingham, England.
1963: Paul Revere and the Raiders sign their first major label contract with Columbia Records.
1964: The Beach Boys release 'I Get Around.' By the 4th of July in 1964, it would become the #1 song in the US, topping the charts for two weeks.
1964: Elvis Presley's 9th film, 'Follow That Dream,' opens.
1966: The Beatles 'Paperback Writer' is released. It will go on to become the band's twelfth Billboard #1 hit. The song also topped the charts in the United Kingdom, West Germany, Australia, New Zealand and Norway.
1966: The Doors play their first show. The gig is at the The Whisky A-Go-Go in West Hollywood, where they would become the house band for a while.
1967: Jimi Hendrix appeared at Klub Bongo in Malmö, Sweden.
1967: After several days abortive work at Abbey Road Studios, Pink Floyd moved to Sound Technique studios in Chelsea, London to record 'See Emily Play' and 'Scarecrow.'
1967: Pink Floyd performed at Town Hall in High Wycombe, England.
1968: Pink Floyd played two late shows at the Paradiso in Amsterdam.
1968: Johnny Lee Hooker, supported by The Hallucinations performed at Boston Tea Party in Boston, Massachusetts.
1969: The Who release their 4th album 'Tommy,' which is a double album and is the first album to be billed as a rock opera. It goes on to sell over two million copies in the U.S. It reached #4 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's, and #2 on the UK Albums chart. In 2003, the album was ranked #96 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 1998 it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for "historical, artistic and significant value".
1969: Bob Seger performed at the Hullabaloo Club in Oregon, Ohio.
1969: Sly and the Family Stone, Clarence Carter, and Rotary Connection performed the first of a two night stand at the Fillmore East in New York.
1969: Led Zeppelin played the first of two nights at the Kinetic Playground in Chicago. Admission was $5.
1970: The Grateful Dead played their first British concert at the Hollywood Rock Festival. The Dead's four hour set is preceded by a performance by Mungo Jerry, playing their big hit 'In the Summertime.'
1970: Paul McCartney's debut solo album, 'McCartney,' started a three-week run at #1.
1970: The Beatles 12th and final studio album 'Let It Be' started a three week run at #1 on the UK chart.
1970: The Allman Brothers Band appeared at Columbia High School Auditorium, Decatur, Georgia.
1971: Iron Butterfly disband one month after 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida' falls off the Album Chart, following a 138 week run.
1971: Frank Zappa appears at the Ohio Theater in Columbus, Ohio.
1971: Rory Gallagher's self-titled 1st solo album is released. It reached #32 on the UK Albums chart.
1973: Jefferson Airplane were prevented from giving a free concert in Golden Gate Park when San Francisco authorities passed a resolution banning electronic instruments. The group later wrote ‘We Built this City’ about the ban.
1973: Clive Davis is fired as president of Columbia Records. He was allegedly using company funds for private use, including $53,700 worth of alterations to his apartment and $20,000 for his son's bar mitzvah.
1973: David Bowie performs at the Brighton Dome in Brighton, England.
1974: George Harrison announced the launch of his own record label, 'Dark Horse.' The label’s first signing was Ravi Shankar.
1975: Peter Gabriel plays his final show with Genesis before going solo. It's in St. Etienne, France.
1975: Elton John's 9th studio album 'Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy' is released. It topped the Billboard 200 Top LP's & Tapes for seven weeks upon release, and reached #2 on the UK Albums chart. In 2003, the album was ranked #158 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight", the only single released from the album (and a #4 hit on the U.S. Pop Singles chart.
1975: Alice Cooper played at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee.
1976: NBC tapes Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue at Colorado State University. The concert later airs under the title 'Hard Rain'
1977: Linda Ronstadt begins work on her 'Simple Dreams' album at Sound Factory One in Los Angeles.
1978: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off their 117 show Darkness on the Edge of Town Tour at Shea’s Buffalo in Buffalo, New York. Several of the shows are broadcast on radio and become instant classics.
1978: Bob Seger performed at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
1979: The Who documentary 'The Kids Are Alright' premieres in New York.
1979: Due to a record company dispute, Tom Petty was forced to file for bankruptcy owing $575,000. A long-running battle with his record company followed.
1979: KISS release their 7th studio album, 'Dynasty.' It marked the first time that the original four members of Kiss did not all appear together for the entire album.
1980: Iron Maiden release their 2nd single, 'Sanctuary.' The cover art caused controversy for the band as it depicted their mascot, Eddie, wielding a knife while crouching over the corpse of then British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
1980: Judas Priest released their single, 'Breaking the Law.'
1980: U2's '11 O'Clock Tick Tock' b/w 'Touch' 45 single is released in the UK.
1980: Black Sabbath performed at the Apollo Theatre in Manchester, England.
1981: Rush played at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
1981: Though issued in the U.K. nearly five years earlier, AC/DC's 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap' peaks at #3 on the U.S. album chart.
1983: Eric Clapton appeared at Civic Hall in Surrey, England.
1986: Poison release their debut studio album 'Look What the Cat Dragged In.' It peaks at #3 on Billboard's 200 album chart. ‬
1986: AC/DC's 'Who Made Who' album was released. It was the soundtrack to the Stephen King movie 'Maximum Overdrive.'
1987: Twelve former members of the Doobie Brothers reunited for a charity concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The show raised $350,000 for Vietnam veterans, about two-thousand of whom attended the show for free.
1987: Helloween's 2nd studio album, 'Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I' is released. It marked the first appearance of vocalist Michael Kiske and it reached #104 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart.
1987: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes Europe’s 'Rock The Night' at #50, Billy Idol’s 'Sweet Sixteen' at #43, Genesis’ 'In Too Deep' at #16, Bon Jovi’s 'Wanted Dead Or Alive' at #14, Poison’s 'Talk Dirty To Me' at #10, and U2’s 'With Or Without You' was #1. ‬
1988: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts released their 6th studio album, 'Up Your Alley.'
1988: ‎Metallica‬ played ‎The Troubadour‬ in ‎West Hollywood‬.
1990: Nick Mason, drummer for Pink Floyd, marries his second wife, Annette Lynton, in London.
1991: Photographer Michael Lavine took what would be the publicity shots for Nirvana’s 'Nevermind' album at Jay Aaron Studios in Los Angeles. The idea for the front cover shot of the baby swimming was taken after Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl saw a TV documentary on water babies and was taken by Kirk Weddle. Several babies were used; five-month old Spencer Eldon’s photo came out best.
1992: A statement issued by Freddie Mercury’s attorneys stated that Mercury had bequeathed the majority of his estate ($17 million) to his long-time friend Mary Austin.
1994: Melissa Etheridge's self-titled debut album goes platinum (one million sales) five-and-a-half years after its release.
1995: Dokken release their 5th studio album, 'Dysfunctional.' It's the band's first release after reuniting in 1993 and it peaks at #47 on Billboard's 200 album chart.
1997: Fleetwood Mac concludes their 'live' performance in front of an invited audience. The concert footage is shown on both MTV and VH1 and is released as 'The Dance.'
1999: The UK's Royal Mail issued a 19p stamp featuring Freddie Mercury to mark his contribution to the Live Aid charity concert in 1985. The late Queen front man was an avid philatelist whose collection was bought by the Post Office in 1993.
2000: Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan announces the group will disband following their current tour. Internal riffs and management troubles are tagged as the cause.
2000: Matchbox 20 release 'Mad Season.'
2000: A Perfect Circle release their debut album, 'Mer de Noms.' In addition to Maynard James Keenan of Tool, the group features guitarist Billy Howerdel and drummer Josh Freese, who had been working on the Chinese Democracy album for Guns N' Roses. It ends up with worldwide sales of well over 2 million.
2000: Noel Gallagher walked out on his band Oasis during a European tour. The move was put down to a series of burst-ups with his brother Liam. The band drafted in replacement guitarist Matt Deighton for the rest of the European dates.
2004: Ozzy Osbourne gets a Legend Award at the MTV Video Music Awards-Japan.
2005: D.A.D. released their 9th album, 'Scare Yourself.'
2005: Bruce Dickinson released his 6th solo album, 'Tyranny of Souls.'
2005: Audioslave releas their 2nd studio album. 'Out of Exile.'
2005: A post on The Darkness website says bassist Frankie Poullain has left the group due to "musical differences."
2006: The King of Sweden presented the surviving members of Led Zeppelin with the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm recognising them as "great pioneers" of rock music. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were joined by the daughter of drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980. The Polar Music Prize was founded in 1989 by Stig Anderson, manager of Swedish pop group Abba, who named it after his record label, Polar Records. Previous winners include Sir Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and producer Quincy Jones.
2006: Sammy Hagar Day is declared in San Bernardino, CA. The Red Rocker, a former area resident, pledges to support a local burn facility by donating proceeds from select tickets to the kickoff of his tour in nearby Devore.
2006: Def Leppard's long delayed covers album, 'Yeah!,' is released. The group's 12th studio effort, includes songs originally recorded by David Bowie, Electric Light Orchestra, Thin Lizzy, T. Rex, Free and the Kinks. There are 5 different versions (regular, iTunes, Target, Wal Mart, Best Buy and Japanese) all with different tracks.
2006: Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top takes parts in a musical tribute to late Country legend Buck Owens during the Academy Of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas.
2007: The US Library of Congress hands out the first Gershwin Award to Paul Simon for being a "performer whose lifetime contributions exemplify the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwins."
2007: Linkin Park's 3rd studio album, 'Minutes To Midnight,' debuts at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 623,000 copies during its first week.
2007: Green Day performs John Lennon's 'Working Class Hero' on the American Idol season finale on FOX-TV.
2007: 'Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End' premieres in Tokyo. The highly touted appearance of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards as the father of Capt. Jack Sparrow (played by Johnny Depp) turns out to be rather uneventful. A bearded Richards only gets to play acoustic guitar and display the shrunken head of Sparrow's mother. Depp modeled his Sparrow character on Richards.
2008: David Kuntz, claiming to be David Lee Roth was pulled over for speeding in Brantford, ON. Kuntz told police he was Roth & that he was suffering an allergic reaction. The real Roth was performing at Madison Square Garden with Van Halen.
2008: VH1 Classic's My Playlist premieres with Judas Priest talking about their 10 favorite music videos.
2008 Weezer's video for 'Pork and Beans' debuts.
2009: Grace Slick is on hand for the opening of an exhibit of her artwork at a Las Vegas gallery. The display includes several Alice in Wonderland-inspired pieces, including one titled The White Rabbit's Tea that Slick created specifically for the showing.
2010: Bret Michaels wins Donald Trump's reality show Celebrity Apprentice despite suffering a brain hemorrhage and a stroke, and the discovery of a hole in his heart. Michaels appears on the show's season finale, against doctor's orders. His $250,000 prize is donated to the American Diabetes Association.
2010: The Rolling Stones scored their first UK #1 album in 16 years with the re-release of their classic 1972 double LP 'Exile On Main Street.' The album, which was first released in 1972, had been reissued with previously unheard tracks. Their last chart topping album was 1994’s 'Voodoo Lounge.'
2012: The Ozzy Osbourne and Friends tour gets underway in Helsinki. Originally intended as a Black Sabbath reunion, the trek is shortened and renamed due to guitarist Tony Iommi's health (battling cancer) and a monetary dispute with original Sabbath drummer Bill Ward, who declined to participate. The 'friends' include Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler and guitarist Zakk Wylde.
2012: Recordings by Prince, Bo Diddley and the Grateful Dead are added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. Bo Diddley's 1955 double-sided hit, 'I'm A Man'/'Bo Diddley,' the Grateful Dead's 1977 'Live At Barton Hall' concert recording and Prince and the Revolution's 1984 soundtrack album, 'Purple Rain,' are deemed to be "cultural, artistic and/or historical treasures."
2012: A "serious respiratory infection" sends Elton John to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. for "extensive tests." The ailment forces the cancellation of the singer's Las Vegas show.
2012: Aerosmith unveiled their first new song in six years, 'Legendary Child,' and also performed an old favorite, 'Walk This Way,' on the season finale of American Idol. Months earlier this would have seemed impossible even though frontman Steven Tyler was a judge on the show. Guitarist Joe Perry once famously said the singing completion was "one step above [Teenage Mutant] Ninja Turtles." John Fogerty joined eventual winner Phillip Ph'llips to sing two Creedence Clearwater Revival songs, 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain' and "Bad Moon Rising,'
2013: Aerosmith perform at Social Star Awards at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore. 288 Social Stars are handed out at the world's first social media awards ceremony; winners are based on data gleaned from 1.7 billion social media users.
2014: To celebrate their 40th anniversary, KISS release 'KISS 40.'
2014: The parents of a camera assistant who was killed after being hit by a train while shooting footage for a biopic about Gregg Allman were suing the musician and the film's producers. The case claimed film-makers "selected an unreasonably dangerous site for the filming location" and failed to take actions to adequately protect the crew.
2015: Bad weather results in the cancelation of Rocklahoma Festival sets by Linkin Park and Volbeat. Anthrax and Halestorm perform at the outdoor Pryor, OK venue before the thunder, lightning and heavy rain intervene.
2016: Disturbed's cover of Simon & Garfunkel's 'The Sound Of Silence' is heard during a freestyle dance on 'Dancing With The Stars.' Contestant Nyle DiMarco, who is deaf, asked the band's permission to use the track.
2016: Radiohead perform 'Creep' for the first time in nearly seven years during a concert in Paris.
2018: Def Leppard Pale debuts. The beer was developed in association with Seattle's Elysian Brewing Company.
2018: Metallica launch their first “day of service” inviting fans across the United States to volunteer for a day at the community food banks. The effort is sponsored by the band’s All Within My Hands foundation, which aims to facilitate “volunteerism among the Metallica family.”

May 24
1962: Elvis Presley was at #1 on the UK singles chart with 'Good Luck Charm,' his 11th UK #1 single. It completed his second hat-trick of chart topping singles in the UK.
1963: Elmore James, blues guitarist and singer, dies of a heart attack in Chicago at 45. James wrote 'Shake Your Money Maker,' which was covered by Fleetwood Mac in 1968. Known as “The King of the Slide Guitar,” James influenced Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Keith Richards and is mentioned in the Beatles’ song 'For You Blue.'
1963: The Beatles recorded the first of their very own BBC radio program, 'Pop Go the Beatles.' The theme song for the program was a version of 'Pop Goes the Weasel.' The Beatles' guests for this first show were the Lorne Gibson Trio.
1964: The Beatles' 'Love Me Do' is the #1 Billboard Pop Hit.
1966: Elvis Presley begins filming his 20th film, 'Frankie And Johnny,' in Hollywood.
1966: Captain Beefheart appeared at the Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood, California. Supported by Buffalo Springfield and The Doors.
1967: Jimi Hendrix played at Gröna Lund in Copenhagen, Denmark.
1968: Cream along with Electric Flag played Robertson Gym on the campus of University of California Santa Barbara.
1968: The Rolling Stones released the single 'Jumpin Jack Flash' in the UK, the track gave them their 7th UK #1 hit. It was released June 1st in the U.S. Keith Richards has stated that he and Jagger wrote the lyrics while staying at Richards' country house, where they were awoken one morning by the sound of gardener Jack Dyer walking past the window. When Jagger asked what the noise was, Richards responded: "Oh, that's Jack – that's jumpin' Jack." Mick Jagger & Marianne Faithfull also were arrested on charges of marijuana possession on this day. In March 2005, Q magazine placed 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' at #2 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. In 2004, Rolling Stone rated the song 124th on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. VH1 placed it at #65 on its show 100 Greatest Rock Songs.
1968: Small Faces' 'Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake' album is released. It reached #159 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart, and topped the UK Albums charts for six weeks, beginning June 29.
1968: The Paul Butterfield Blues Band appeared at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan.
1968: Pink Floyd appeared at The Punchbowl Hotel in Lapworth, England.
1969: Led Zeppelin performed at the Kinetic Playground in Chicago.
1969: Jimi Hendrix played the San Diego Sports Arena.
1969: The Who peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with 'Pinball Wizard,' their 4th top 40 single in the U.S.
1969: 'Get Back' by The Beatles shot to #1 on Billboard's Pop chart where it would remain for 5 weeks, becoming the group's 17th US #1 record. The song featured an organ solo by Billy Preston, who became the only non-group member ever credited on a Beatles single.
1969: The Guess Who make their US Television debut on American Bandstand, performing 'These Eyes' and 'Laughing.'
1969: Bob Dylan's 9th album 'Nashville Skyline' album peaks at #3 on the charts. The album featured 'Lay Lady Lay,' which became one of Dylan's biggest pop hits, reaching #7 in the US, his biggest single in three years.
1970: Peter Green plays his last gig with Fleetwood Mac at the Bath Festival in Somerset, England. Former Fleetwood Mac road manager Dennis Keane believes Green and fellow member Danny Kirwan were recruited to be in some sort of cult. “That is what they do: They get you in and they strip you of your identity, of your money.” After dropping particularly strong acid, “Both of them, as of that day, became seriously mentally ill,” says Keane.
1970: Surprisingly, the Hollywood Festival is not in L.A. The U.K. event features Traffic, the Grateful Dead and Free. But the breakout performance comes from Black Sabbath.
1970: The Allman Brothers Band performed at the Shady Grove Music Fair in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
1971: Bob Dylan’s 30th birthday is commemorated with a Peanuts cartoon commenting on the event. Dylan himself spends the day visiting the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.
1972: Grateful Dead Europe ’72 tour plays at the Lyceum in London, England.
1973: Led Zeppelin 'Over The Hills And Far Away' b/w 'Dancing Days' 45 single is released. It was Houses of the Holy's first US single, reaching #51 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, later becoming a staple of the classic rock radio format. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant originally constructed the song in 1970 at Bron-Yr-Aur, a small cottage in Wales where they stayed after completing a gruelling North American concert tour.
1973: David Bowie played at the Odeon Theatre (Lewisham), in London.
1974: David Bowie releases his 8th studio album 'Diamond Dogs.' The cover art creates controversy as it features Bowie as a half-man, half-dog creature painted by Belgian artist Guy Peellaert. It reached #5 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart, and #1 on the UK chart. Though the album was recorded and released after the 'retirement' of Ziggy Stardust in mid-1973, and featured its own lead character in Halloween Jack ("a real cool cat" who lives in the decaying "Hunger City"), Ziggy was seen to be still very much alive in Diamond Dogs, as evident from Bowie's haircut on the cover and the glam-trash style of the first single Rebel Rebel.' As was the case with some songs on 'Aladdin Sane,' the influence of The Rolling Stones was also evident, particularly in the chugging title track.
1976: AC/DC performed at The Nashville in London.
1977: Marc Bolan plays his last show with T. Rex. The concert takes place at Gröna Lund in Stockholm, Sweden, with Bolan the only original member of the band at that point. The singer would die in an auto accident on September 16 that year.
1977: At Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, Emerson, Lake & Palmer begin an extravagant, 11-month tour with a 70-piece orchestra, 63 roadies, a choir and a karate instructor for drummer Carl Palmer. The tour is a stunning spectacle, but a financial disaster. Early on the morning of the very first gig, at Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky; it was noticed that a vital weld in the massive lighting rig had come apart, leaving the huge array precariously suspended, ready to crash down at any moment. Had it not been spotted and repaired, it could have brought a couple of band members, and the tour, to a sudden end. In hindsight, that broken weld could be seen as the first in a series of omens warning one of the most successful supergroups of the ‘70s not to embark on an ill-starred, 11-month long trek which would bring to them to the edge of financial ruin and set them on the road to dissolution.
1978: Van Halen's self titled debut album was certified Gold by the RIAA. It later went on to sell ten million copies in the U.S.
1978: Neil Young appeared at The Boarding House in San Francisco.
1979: The three remaining members of Genesis give the fans a thrill by manning the box office and selling their own tickets to the upcoming show at the Roxy in Los Angeles.
1979: Yes played at Selland Arena in Fresno, California.
1980: Genesis fans turning up at the Roxy Club box office in Los Angeles to buy tickets for a forthcoming gig were surprised to find the band members Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford selling the tickets themselves.
1980: In Hamburg, Germany, a battle between The Clash and the audience results in Joe Strummer's arrest. Strummer struck one audience member in the head with his guitar.
1980: Twisted Sister kicks off their "Bad Boys Summer Tour '80" at Detroit in Port Chester by recording the show for a future WLIR Broadcast.
1981: Van Halen played at Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
1982: Grateful Dead, Jefferson Starship, Boz Scaggs, and Country Joe & the Fish play a benefit concert for Vietnam vets at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
1982: An 11-minute Paul McCartney/Ringo Starr film is screened at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
1986: The Count Five, whose hit 'Psychotic Reaction' reached #5 in the US in 1965, reunited for the first time in 18 years to play at their high school reunion in San Jose, California.
1986: Davy Jones, Mickey Dolenz and Peter Tork reunited as The Monkees when they kicked off their 145-date "20th Anniversary World Tour" at the Concord Hotel in the Catskill Mountains. The group has risen in popularity thanks to MTV, which started airing old episodes of their TV show.
1986: AC/DC released the albm 'Who Made Who.' It was the soundtrack to the Stephen King movie 'Maximum Overdrive' and reached #33 on the Billboard Chart.
1988: Frehley's Comet 'Second Sighting' album is released.
1988: Van Halen release their 8th studio album 'OU812.' It topped the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart for four consecutive weeks during the summer of that year. Five tracks charted on Billboard - 'Feels So Good' (The Billboard Hot 100 - #35; Mainstream Rock - #6), 'Black And Blue' (Mainstream Rock - #1, The Billboard Hot 100 - #37), 'Cabo Wabo' (Mainstream Rock - #31), 'Finish What Ya Started' (Mainstream Rock - #2, The Billboard Hot 100 - #13), and 'When It s Love' (The Billboard Hot 100 - #5; Mainstream Rock - #1). Its title is allegedly a joke on the band's previous lead singer David Lee Roth's 1986 album 'Eat 'Em and Smile' (OU812 translates phonetically to "Oh, you ate one too?"). However, "OU812" was also seen in the 70s sitcom Taxi written on a wall. The first person to use the phrase was Redd Foxx. Furthermore, "OU812" is the license plate on the red Ferrari that Cheech and Chong drive in Cheech & Chong's Next Movie (released in 1980). The album is dedicated to Eddie and Alex Van Halen's father, Jan, who died in December 1986 at the age of 66. The inner linings of the album include the words, "This one's for you, Pa". Jan had previously appeared playing clarinet on one track, 'Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now),' on Van Halen's 1982 album, 'Diver Down.'
1988: Camper Van Beethoven's 'Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart' album is released. It reached #135 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart. It was the band's first major-label album, and was produced by Dennis Herring, the first time the band had used an outside producer.
1990: Axl Rose files for divorce after only 30 days of marriage to Erin Everly.
1991: Guns n' Roses played the first show on their 192-date Use Your Illusion world Tour at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin. The tour lasted until July of 1993.
1991: Gene Clark, a founding member of the Byrds and formerly of the New Christy Minstrels, died following a heart attack at 46. He was The Byrds' dominant songwriter between 1964 and early 1966, penning most of the band's best-known originals from this period, including 'I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better,' 'She Don't Care About Tim,', 'Set You Free This Time,' and 'Eight Miles High.' He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the Byrds in 1991.
1992: Police in Montgomery were called when an impostor posing as Steve Miller left a hotel owing a $600 unpaid bill, he did however leave a $73 tip on a $8 drinks bill.
1993: W.A.S.P. released their album, 'The Crimson Idol.' The concept album tells the story of the rise and fall of fictional rock star Jonathan Steel.
1993: Guns N' Roses release the' (Strictly Limited Edition) Civil War' E.P. It includes an exclusive interview w/Slash.
1994: Toad the Wet Sprocket's album 'Dulcinea' is released. It reached #34 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart. Two songs from Dulcinea reached Top 40 designation on the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts: 'Fall Down' and 'Something's Always Wrong.'
1994: Bret Michaels of Poison loses control of his Ferrari and crashes into a telephone pole in Burbank, CA. He breaks his thumb, nose and collarbone, loses four teeth, cracks his sternum, and receives a hairline fracture of his upper jawbone. According to police reports, he passed out behind the wheel while driving.
1994: The Allman Brothers Band plays 'Nobody Left To Run To Anymore' on 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.'
1997: Ozzfest '97 starts in Bristow, VA, with separate sets by Ozzy Osbourne and the re-formed Black Sabbath (Osbourne, Tommy Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward).
1998: Robbie Robertson, the former guitarist for The Band, is a presenter at the first Native American Music Awards in Mashantucket, CT. Robertson is of Mohawk ancestry.
1999: David Bowie broadcasts the sessions for the song 'What's Really Happening' over the Internet. The song is co-written by Alex Grant, the winner of a songwriting contest.
1999: Queen singer Freddie Mercury, who died in 1991, was honored on a new set of millennium stamps issued by the Royal Mail. Mercury, who featured on the 19p stamp, was a keen stamp collector, and his collection was bought by the Post Office in 1993. The stamp marked his contribution to the Live Aid charity concert in 1985, and caused controversy by featuring a small portion of Queen’s drummer, Roger Taylor, in the background - UK stamps by tradition only carry pictures of living persons who are members of the Royal Family.
2000: A New York Judge told Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde that if she wanted her March arrest for protesting the sale of leather goods in a Gap store dismissed, she'd better keep her nose clean for the next six months.
2003: Paul McCartney made his first ever live performance in Russia when he appeared in-front of 20,000 fans in Red Square. Before making his way to the show, he sits down for tea with Russian premier Vladimir Putin.
2004: An auction of Bruce Springsteen's birth certificate on eBay is shut down by the Boss' legal team.
2004: Creed disbands with guitarist Mark Tremonti, drummer Scott Phillips and ex-Creed bassist Brian Marshall forming Alter Bridge with singer Myles Kennedy.
2005: Audioslave release their sophomore album 'Out Of Exile.'
2005: Seether release their 'Karma And Effect' album.
2005: Motley Crue files a lawsuit against NBC for allegedly banning the group from appearing on the network after singer Vince Neil slips in an expletive during the group's New Year's Eve performance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. Crue claims the action violates their free speech rights. "This is a discrimination issue," says bassist Nikki Sixx.
2005: Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne put the Beverly Hills house that was featured on the hit reality television show 'The Osbournes' up for sale. Pop superstar Christina Aguilera eventually purchased the house.
2006: Elton John is awarded about $188,000 in damages from a libel suit against U.K. newspaper The Daily Mail. The paper had falsely printed that John had told guests at one of his charity balls not to approach him. John donates the money to his Elton John AIDS Foundation.
2006: The Rolling Stones officially announce the postponement of a series of concerts at the start of their European tour in the wake of guitarist Keith Richards' accident resulting in a head injury. The band cancels 15 shows.
2006: Collective Soul hit the road for a brief tour in support of their 'Home: A Live Concert Recording With the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra' CD/DVD package. The 10-show trek begins in Colorado Springs, CO.
2006: 'Return To The Dark Side Of The Moon' is released. The tribute to Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side Of The Moon' features The Doors' Robbie Krieger, Styx's Tommy Shaw, Yes' Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe and Asia/ex-King Crimson singer-bassist John Wetton.
2006: Bob Dylan's 'American Journey 1956-1966' officially opens at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. The exhibit debuts on Dylan's 65th birthday.
2006: 'Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End' opens. Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards plays the father of Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp's role). "(It was) just something to do," says Richards, who sees similarities between being a pirate and life in a Rock group. "Both are ways to make a good dishonest living."
2006: Taylor Hicks wins Season 5 of American Idol, defeating Katharine McPhee.
2007: Art Garfunkel joined Paul Simon in a rare reunion in Washington, D.C. which commemorated Simon's receipt of the Library of Congress' first Gershwin Award, recognizing contributions to the popular song as an art form. Simon introduced his former partner by saying "My dear friend and partner in arguments, Art Garfunkel," before they launched into 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' and 'Cecilia.' Also appearing on the show were Stevie Wonder and James Taylor.
2007: Elton John nabs the Most Performed Song trophy at the 52nd annual Ivor Novello Awards in London. John co-wrote the Scissor Sisters' hit 'I Don't Feel Like Dancin,' with two of the band's members. Also, Peter Gabriel takes home a Lifetime Achievement award.
2007: Vans footwear announces a limited-edition Corey Taylor slip-on sneaker designed by the Stone Sour/Slipknot frontman as part of the 21st Century Leaders artwork project. A portion of proceeds benefit the Whatever It Takes charity organization.
2008: Rush plays their first Winnipeg concert in 26 years. Ticket sales raise funds to help finance the building of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in that city. Rush also sells special T-shirts on Canadian dates to raise a promised $100,000 for the project.
2008: R.E.M.'s appearance on PBS' 'Austin City Limits' is broadcast.
2009: Billy Joel was sued by his former drummer for hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid royalties. Liberty Devitto claimed that Joel hadn't paid him proper royalties for 10 years of his work. Devitto was Joel's drummer from 1975 until 2005, when he said he was abruptly kicked out of the band without so much as a phone call.
2010: Paul Gray, bassist and founding member with Slipknot, was found dead in a hotel in Des Moines, Iowa. The body of the 38-year-old musician was found by an employee at the hotel in a suburb of the city. Autopsy results were released that stated Gray had died of an overdose of morphine, and had also shown signs of “significant heart disease.” The nine members of Slipknot wore masks in public and referred to other bandmates by numbers, Gray was number two.
2010: John Fogerty's 1985 hit 'Centerfield' was selected to be honored at the National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies. The event would mark the first time a musician or song has been honored in such a way.
2010: David Byrne (Talking Heads) sues Florida governor and independent candidate for the U.S. Senate, Charlie Crist, for using his group's 1985 hit 'Road To Nowhere' in a campaign ad slamming his then-Republican primary opponent Marco Rubio. Byrne claims Crist didn't ask for or receive permission to use the song; Byrne also asserts that such use wrongfully insinuates his endorsement of Crist's candidacy. "I was pretty upset by that," Byrne tells Billboard. Byrne sues for $1 million because it's the amount he is typically offered for use of his songs in commercials.
2011: Journey released their 14th studio album 'Eclipse.'
2011: Ringo Starr apologized during a BBC interview for saying earlier that he missed nothing about his hometown of Liverpool. "I apologize to those people, as long as they live in Liverpool, not outside. No real Scouser took offence, only I believe people from the outside."
2011: 'Rockers And Rollers: A Full Throttle Memoir,' a book by AC/DC vocalist Brian Johnson, chronicles the close relationship between Rock and Roll and the automobile-two of Johnson's passions. It's in bookstores.
2011: On his 70th birthday, Bob Dylan is the subject of an academic conference held at the University of Bristol in the U.K. The Seven Ages of Dylan tracks the changes in Dylan's sense of himself, and of his art, and his audience's response to these changes.
2011: Mark 'Bam Bam' McConnell, who was a member of Sebastian Bach's band for eight years, dies after suffering kidney and liver failure. He joined the former Skid Row frontman in 1997 and remained until 2005.
2012: Aerosmith unveiled their first new song in six years, 'Legendary Child,' and also performed an old favorite, 'Walk This Way,' on the season finale of American Idol. John Fogerty joined eventual winner Phillip Phillips to sing two Creedence Clearwater Revival songs, 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain' and 'Bad Moon Rising.'
2013: Stone Temple Pilots file a lawsuit against their former lead singer, Scott Weiland, following their recruitment of Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington. The band accuses Weiland of "hijacking its name and songs to promote his solo career." The band also claims sole rights to the name Stone Temple Pilots, their music, copyrights and trademarks.
2013: Incubus, through their Make Yourself Foundation, team up with RYOT.org to aid Oklahoma tornado victims. The goal is to raise $20,000 for the relief effort.
2013: 'Rolling Stones: 50 Years of Satisfaction' exhibit opens at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "This first-ever exhibit gives us an opportunity to tell the story of one of the definitive Rock 'n' Roll bands," states Greg Harris, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
2015: In an interview with Nigel Farndale of the UK publication The Telegraph, Art Garfunkel said that in the early years of their career he felt sorry for Paul Simon because of his height, and he offered him love and friendship as a compensation. "And that compensation gesture has created a monster."
2016: Having announced his decision to leave Pop Evil, drummer Josh "Chachi" Marunde makes his final appearance with the band in Grand Rapids.
2016: Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford is a guest speaker at a business seminar called Varldens Farligaste Mote (The World's Most Dangerous Meeting), an annual e-commerce seminar held in Gothenburg, Sweden.
2016: Gord Downie, lead singer of The Tragically Hip, announces that he has a terminal brain cancer called glioblastoma. Downie, who was diagnosed in December and has been going through treatment, does one last tour with the band, closing with a show in his hometown of Kingston, Ontario, on August 21.
2017: U2 pay tribute to the "undefeatable spirit" of Manchester just hours after an attack on fans at pop singer Ariana Grande’s concert left 22 dead and many more injured. "They (terrorists) hate everything that we love,” says frontman Bono on Jimmy Kimmel Live! where the group promotes their 'Joshua Tree' tour celebrating the album’s 30th anniversary.

May 25
1938: Vernon Presley is sentenced to a three year term at Parchman penal plantation in Mississippi for forging a check. His wife Gladys and son Elvis are forced to live on welfare.
1965: Kinks guitar player Dave Davies is knocked unconscious when he falls into drummer Mick Avory's cymbal during a London concert. The group cancels the remainder of their UK tour.
1965: Blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, Sonny Boy Williamson died in his sleep. Van Morrison, Aerosmith, The Who, The Animals, Yardbirds and Moody Blues all covered his songs. According to the Led Zeppelin biography 'Hammer of the Gods,' touring the UK in the 60's, Sonny Boy set his hotel room on fire while trying to cook a rabbit in a coffee percolator.
1965: The Rolling Stones perform 'How Many More Years' with their hero Howlin’ Wolf on ABC’s 'Shindig!'
1967: Procol Harum's 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' entered the UK chart for the first time, where it went on to become a #1 hit. 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' became the most played song in the last 75 years in public places in the UK (as of 2009). The first video for the song was shot in the ruins of Witley Court in Worcestershire, England. Directed by Peter Clifton whose insertion of Vietnam War newsreel footage caused it to be banned from airplay on the Top Of The Pops TV show. The band subsequently made another video.
1967: Pink Floyd appeared at the Gwent Constabulary ('A' Division) Spring Holiday Barn Dance, held at The Barn, Grosmont Wood Farm in Cross Ash, Wales, UK.
1967: Janis Joplin performed at the Carousel Ballroom in San Francisco with the Clara Ward Singers and H.P. Lovecraft.
1968: The Yardbirds appeared at Fillmore West in San Francisco.
1968: Pink Floyd performed at Mayfair Suite in The Belfry Hotel, Wishaw, Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham, England. Support acts were Young Blood and Pineapple Incident. Admission included dinner.
1968: Simon And Garfunkel's 'Bookends' replaces their own 'The Graduate' at the top of the US album chart.
1968: Rolling Stones release 'Jumpin' Jack Flash.'
1968: The Monterey Pop Festival is canceled because of pressure from the local government and citizenry. Shortly thereafter, the festival's bookkeeper can't be located nor can $52,000.
1968: The Doors performed at Patio Gardens in Farmington, Utah.
1969: The Hollies recorded 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother' with Elton John on piano. It will reach #3 in the UK and #7 in the US.
1969: Led Zeppelin and The Who appeared together at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. This was the only time the two group's ever appeared together, with Zeppelin opening the show. On the tickets Led Zeppelin was spelt Lead Zeppelin.
1969: A benefit concert was held for Fairport Convention at The Roundhouse, London to raise money for the families of the band's drummer Martin Lamble, Richard Thompson's girlfriend and clothes designer Jeannie Franklyn who were all killed in an accident driving back from a gig. Also on the bill, Family, Pretty Things, Soft Machine and John Peel.
1969: Jimi Hendrix played at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in San Jose, California.
1970: Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green plays his last official show with the band, although he did fill in a few years later when they lost their lead guitarist.
1971: King Crimson appeared at Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England.
1972: David Bowie played at Chelsea Village in Bournemouth, England.
1973: Carole King gives a free concert for 100,000 fans in New York's Central Park.
1973: During a 21-date UK tour Wings played the first of three sold out nights at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.
1974: Jim Morrison’s widow, Pam, died of a drug overdose.
1974: Three Dog Night's last million selling single, 'The Show Must Go On,' peaks at #4 on the pop chart.
1974: Rick Wakeman became the first member of the group Yes to have a #1 UK album when 'Journey To The Centre Of The Earth' went to the top of the charts.
1974: Aerosmith performed at Cape Cod Coliseum in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts.
1974: The Grateful Dead with special gusts Maria Muldaur played Campus Stadium at the University of California Santa Barbara.
1975: Rush played at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
1976: The Who perform at the Palais Des Sports in Lyons, France.
1976: Bob Dylan appeared at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah.
1976: The Rolling Stones performed at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London.
1977: The Broadway tribute Beatlemania opens at the Winter Garden Theater.
1977: The Grateful Dead appeared at The Mosque, in Richmond, Virginia.
1978: David Gilmour released his self-titled debut solo studio album in the UK. It was released June 17, 1978 in the U.S. It reached #29 on The Billboard 200 Top LP's & Tape chart, and #17 on the UK Albums chart.
1978: Keith Moon of the Who, performs for the last time with the band at a secret concert for fan club members at London’s Shepperton Film Studios. The show was a mini-concert for their career-spanning documentary 'The Kids Are Alright.' The band had been off the road for nearly two years, and gave a solid but stilted performance. Keith Moon died 3 1/2 months later.
1978: After seeing The Hype (soon to become U2) appearing at the Project Arts Centre, in Dublin, Paul McGuinness became their manager.
1979: Yes appeared at the Long Beach Civic Arena in Long Beach, California.
1980: Black Sabbath played at the Odeon in Birmingham, England.
1981: Anvil released their debut album, 'Hard 'n' Heavy.' It was originally released independently under the band name "Lips."
1982: Metallica played a gig at Lars Ulrich's Back Bay high school in California. It was the first gig that James Hetfield both sang and played guitar.
1983: Dio releases their epic debut album 'Holy Diver.' It peaked at #56 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. In 2017, it was ranked #10 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time.
1983: Roxy Music performed at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
1984: David Gilmour appeared at the Orpheum Theater in Boston, Massachusetts.
1985: Dire Straits scored their second UK #1 album with 'Brothers In Arms',' also #1 in the US and 24 other countries. 'Brothers In Arms' was one of the first albums to be directed at the CD market, and was a full digital recording (DDD) at a time when most popular music was recorded on analog equipment. The album won two Grammy Awards at the 28th Grammy Awards, and also won Best British Album at the 1987 Brit Awards, and has gone on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide.
1988: Iron Maiden's 'Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour' stops in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with opener Guns N' Roses.
1990: Fleetwood Mac played the first of 42 North American dates on their 'Behind The Mask' world tour at the PNE Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada. Squeeze were the opening act.
1990: Lou Gramm departed Foreigner. Guitarist Mick Jones said Gramm’s departure was due to Gramm’s solo work conflicting with Foreigner’s commitments. Gramm later re-joined Foreigner in 1992 before departing again in 2003.
1991: Yes peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with 'Union,' which was their final studio album to go Gold in the U.S.
1993: Styx vocalist Dennis DeYoung makes his theatrical debut as Pontius Pilate in the 20th anniversary production of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' in Universal City, CA.
1993: ‎Anthrax‬ released their 6th studio album 'Sound Of White Noise.' It was the band's first album to feature vocalist John Bush. It reached #7 on the Billboard Chart.
1995: The earliest known recording of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, from 1961, was sold at Christies in London for £50,250 ($85,425).
1996: Brad Nowell, the founder, lead singer and guitarist of Sublime, dies of a heroin overdose in San Francisco at 28. Nowell had married only a week prior to his death, and left behind a young son. His final album with Sublime sold over 6 million copies.
1997: The day after his 56th birthday, Bob Dylan was admitted into a Los Angeles hospital with chest pains. What was feared to be a heart attack turned out to be a case of histoplasmosis, or an inflammation of the sac around his heart. He canceled a European tour. Dylan later admitted: 'I really thought I'd be seeing Elvis soon'. Treated by drugs and rest, Bob was back on the road only 10 weeks later, for 22 American and Canadian shows.
1997: A report showed that Elvis Presley was now the world's bestselling posthumous entertainer with worldwide sales of over one billion, over 480 active fan clubs and an estimated 250,000 UK fans who still buy his records. Ironically he had died owing $3 million.
1998: Doro (Pesch) released her 6th solo album, 'Love Me in Black.' She did a cover of the Heart song 'Barracuda' on the album.
2000: Eddie Van Halen is tested for cancer at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. The hospital denies reports that Van Halen suffers from cancer but that's what he has.
2001: Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher won a damages settlement from The Daily Mirror after they claimed he lied in court during divorce proceedings with Meg Matthews.
2002: The HF Festival in Washington, D.C. has The Strokes, Papa Roach and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Sponsored by radio station WHFS, the RFK show promotes up and coming groups.
2003: Marilyn Manson were at #1 on the US album chart with 'The Golden Age of Grotesque,' the bands second US #1.
2004: Phish announce they are breaking up. The group releases an album and rolls through a summer tour before they are gone. A few years later they reform.
2004: Slipknot release the album, 'Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses.' It reached #2 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart.
2004: Billy Corgan helps honor the Chicago area Neuqua Valley High School's music program when he presents the school with a special honor from the Grammy Foundation. He also performs and fields questions from students during the ceremony.
2004: Courtney Love pleaded guilty to being under the influence of a controlled substance, a charge which stemmed from a 2003 arrest. She then became eligible for a sentence that would require her to attend a drug treatment program instead of going to jail.
2004: Phish, often regarded as a younger version of The Grateful Dead, announce they are breaking up. The group releases an album and rolls through a summer tour before they are gone. A few years later, they reform.
2005: Domenic Troiano, Canadian rock guitarist, dies of prostate cancer at 59. Troiano was best known as the guitarist and songwriter in The James Gang and The Guess Who. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1996.
2005: System Of A Down's 'Mezmerize' tops the Billboard 200 Album chart after selling 453,000 copies in its first week.
2005: The Alameda County Sheriff's Office in California announced that it was officially closing the stabbing case of Meredith Hunter, the 18-year-old American who was killed at the 1969 Rolling Stones Altamont Free Concert. Investigators, concluding a renewed two-year investigation, dismissed the theory that a second Hell's Angel took part in the stabbing.
2005: A three day 'Behind The Aerosmith Door' tour starts. The Boston excursion, put on by the group's official fan club, stops at recording studios and other landmarks that shaped the band's history. There's even a meet-and-greet with drummer Joey Kramer. The trip's price tag exceeds $1,100.
2005: Radiohead's Thom Yorke visits the British Parliament urging them to support a new climate-control initiative. The Big Ask campaign seeks to make the U.K. government accountable for reducing carbon dioxide emissions as a way to help combat global warming.
2006: Kinks leader Ray Davies and Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson are honored at the UK's prestigious Ivor Novello Awards, held in London. Davies nabs the Outstanding Contribution to British Music honor, while Anderson receives the International Achievement trophy.
2006: Queen, Def Leppard, KISS and Judas Priest are recognized for their musical achievements at the inaugural VH1 Rock Honors in Las Vegas. Members of Queen perform with the Foo Fighters and Godsmack plays a four-song medley of Judas Priest tunes. A one-off supergroup featuring Velvet Revolver's Slash and Motley Crue's Tommy Lee pay musical tribute to KISS. The show airs six days later.
2006: Styx recorded and filmed their concert with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, OH which was released later that year.
2007: The Doors exhibit opens at the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. On display are Ray Manzarek's Vox Continental keyboard and a Jim Morrison poem, "Ode To L.A. While Thinking Of Brian Jones, Deceased."
2007: The horror flick, 'Bug,' is in theaters. The soundtrack features 'Beautiful Da'" by Velvet Revolver vocalist Scott Weiland.
2008: Jet releases a YouTube video featuring their song 'Shine On' that honors the life and work of Australian ophthalmologist Fred Hallows. It is estimated that Hallow’s work in Australia and other developing nations has helped bring eyesight to over one million people. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, lead singer Nic Chester said, "hopefully [the video] encourages people to make a donation to keep Fred's work going."
2009: '21 Guns,' from Green Day's 8th album '21st Century Breakdown,' is released as a digital download single and goes to radio.
2010: Rage Against The Machine's frontman Zack de la Rocha leads 'The Sound Strike,' a boycott of Arizona by musicians in protest of the state's controversial immigration law. SB1070 requires local authorities to determine a person's immigration status if he or she is suspected of being undocumented. In an open letter, de la Rocha writes that the law will lead to racial harassment. Serj Tankian, Joe Satriani and Sonic Youth are among those joining the effort.
2010: Alice In Chains first album in 14 years, 'Black Gives Way To Blue,' goes gold (500,000 units shipped). It entered the Billboard 200 at #5 with first-week sales exceeding 125,000 copies. The singles 'Check My Brain' and 'Your Decision' went to #1 on the Rock Songs chart.
2010: The self-titled Stone Temple Pilots comeback album is released. The album is the band's first studio effort since 2001's 'Shangri-La Dee Da.' It features the #1 single (on Rock and Alternative charts) 'Between The Lines.'
2010: The first EP from the Smashing Pumpkins 'Teargarden By Kaleidyscope' project, 'Vol. 1: Songs For A Sailor,' is available as a digital download. There's also a limited edition physical release packaged in a silk screened wooden box.
2010: Songs by Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson, Beck, Eels and Elvis Costello are featured on the soundtrack for the second season of the HBO's series 'True Blood.'
2010: Pantera tracks from their '96 release 'The Great Southern Trendkill' are released to the Rock Band Network for use on Playstation, Wii and Xbox systems.
2011: U2's Bono and The Edge appear on the American Idol finale along with the cast of 'Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark' to perform 'Rise Above,' a song from the show. The pair composed the score for the play.
2011: Rush's 'Countdown' is used as the wake-up call to astronauts on the space shuttle Endeavor. A one-minute clip of the 1982 track is beamed from Earth to the shuttle.
2012: Against Me! singer/guitarist Tommy Gabel makes her live debut as Laura Jane Grace, performing with the band for the first time since coming out as transgender. The San Diego show is the first stop in a month-long U.S. tour.
2013: Motley Crue's Tommy Lee retires his roller coaster drum set following a concert at Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. During Lee's drum solos, the rig spun him around upside down while he played.
2013: Marshall Lytle, bassist for Bill Haley And His Comets on their hits 'Crazy Man, Crazy' and 'Rock Around The Clock,' died of lung cancer at the age of 79.
2014: Metallica's 1991 self-titled album ('The Black Album') surpasses 16 million in U.S. sales. It's the biggest seller of the SoundScan era (which began in '91).
2016: Pop Evil introduce drummer Hayley Cramer as Josh "Chachi" Marunde's replacement. Marunde announced his departure the previous month.

May 26
1956: Two months after missing the program because of a devastating car accident, Carl Perkins finally appears on 'The Perry Como Show.' Unfortunately by this time his hit 'Blue Suede Shoes' had already peaked in popularity and much of Perkins' career momentum was lost.
1958: Jerry Lee Lewis performs his third and last show of his aborted tour of England. Scandal over his marriage to 14 year-old cousin Myra short-circuits the tour. After headlines that said, "Clear Out This Gang," "Baby Snatcher Go Home", "We Hate Jerry Shout Ex-Fans", and "Lewis: Bigamist," Jerry Lee and Myra return to the U.S. the following day.
1962: The Isley Brothers' 'Twist and Shout' is released on Wand Records. It will rise to #17 on the US Pop chart and will be covered two years later by The Beatles, whose version rose to #2.
1963: Elvis Presley records '(You're The) Devil In Disguise,' which will peak at #3 on the Billboard chart and #1 in the UK by next August and be certified Gold by the RIAA for sales in excess of 500,000 units in the US.
1964: Marianne Faithful recorded the Mick Jagger and Keith Richards song ‘As Tears Go By,' accompanied by future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page on guitar and John Paul Jones on bass.
1965: The Rolling Stones appear on TV's Rock 'n' Roll show, 'Shindig!' along with Jackie De Shannon, Sonny and Cher and Jimmie Rodgers. They perform 'How Many More Years' with one of their big influences, bluesman Howlin' Wolf.
1965: The Beatles record their final musical appearance at the BBC. Just over three years since their first appearance on BBC radio, The Beatles recorded their final musical appearance on this day at Number 1 Studio at Piccadilly Theatre in London. 2:30-6:00pm. It was their 52nd radio appearance for the corporation, and was broadcast on the BBC Light Programme on June 7, 1965.
1966: The Beatles and Rolling Stones turned out to see Bob Dylan play London’s Royal Albert Hall.
1966: The Rolling Stones were at #1 on the UK singles chart with 'Paint It, Black', their sixth UK #1 single. It was originally titled 'Paint It Black' without a comma. Keith Richards has stated that the comma was added by the record label, Decca. It was the first #1 single to feature a sitar on the recording.
1966: The Who were at the Locarno Ballroom in Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester, England.
1966: Columbia and RCA Victor, two of America's biggest record labels, announce that they will raise the list price of L.P.s by one dollar on June 1st. It's the first increase since 1953.
1966: The Beatles recorded 'Yellow Submarine' at Abbey Road studios in London. Recovering from a case of food poisoning, producer George Martin missed this recording, EMI engineer Geoff Emerick worked on the session. The track features John Lennon blowing bubbles in a bucket of water, shouting "Full speed ahead Mister Captain!" The idea for the song came to Paul McCartney late one evening. “The color yellow came to me, and a submarine came to me,” he has stated. Both John Lennon and Donovan contributed to the lyrics. It was a melody that Paul felt would suit Ringo perfectly.
1967: The Beatles masterpiece, 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' was released in the UK, one week before its American debut. The album took over 700 hours to record under the direction of George Martin and cost $75,000 to produce. A then state-of-the-art four track recorder was used to build each song layer by layer. The LP spent 22 weeks at the top of the UK albums chart and 15 weeks at number one in the US. The iconic album cover, depicting the band posing in front of a collage of celebrities and historical figures, was designed by English pop artists Peter Blake and Jann Haworth based on a sketch by Paul McCartney. 'Sgt. Pepper' has now sold over 30 million copies worldwide.
1967: The Hollies 'Carrie Anne' b/w 'Signs That Will Never Change' 45 single is released. It became a hit in 1967, reaching #3 on the UK Singles Chart. It was also a hit in the US, peaking at #9 on the pop charts.
1967: Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention's 2nd album, 'Absolutely Free' is released. It reached #41 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart.
1968: US blues artist Little Willie John died in prison after being convicted of manslaughter. Co-wrote and was the first to record a 'Fever' (covered by Peggy Lee in 1958), and 'Need Your Love So Bad' covered by Fleetwood Mac. James Brown recorded a tribute album 'Thinking Of Little Willie John... And A Few Other Nice Things.'
1968: Pink Floyd, Blonde On Blonde and The Pretty Things all appeared at the OZ magazine benefit at the Middle Earth Club, Covent Garden, London, England. OZ was a satirical humour magazine, founded by Richard Neville and based in Sydney, Australia from 1963. In its second and better-known incarnation it became a counter-culture magazine, based in London from 1967 to 1973.
1969: John and Yoko began an eight-day 'bed in', in room 1742 of The Hotel La Reine Elizabeth, Montreal, Canada, to promote world peace. They recorded ‘Give Peace a Chance’ in the hotel room (Petula Clark can be heard on the chorus). The song was credited to Lennon & McCartney, even though Paul had nothing to do with the record. Lennon may have been showing his appreciation for McCartney's help on 'The Ballad of John and Yoko' single, which the two of them recorded without George and Ringo.
1969: Janis Joplin lands on the cover of Newsweek with the headline, "Janis Joplin: Rebirth of Blues."
1969: The Hollies record 'He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother,' with a young Elton John providing piano.
1969: Simon & Garfunkel’s 'Bookends' goes to #1 on the American album chart, knocking their own 'Graduate' soundtrack out of the top spot.
1969: Ray Charles with his 17-piece orchestra and the Raelets played Robertson Gym on the University of Santa Barbara campus.
1970: George Harrison begins work on what will become 'All Things Must Pass.' Phil Spector produces the triple album set.
1971: Don McLean records 'American Pie.' Although he has never actually said so, most music lovers assume he is singing about February 3rd, 1959, when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. Richardson were killed in a plane crash, as 'the day the music died.'
1971: The Doobie Brothers 'Nobody' b/w 'Slippery St. Paul' 45 single is released. From The Doobie Brothers self-titled first album, 'Nobody' is the first single from the album, 'Nobody,' but it failed to chart, as did the album itself. The single was re-released in 1974 after the group had become a highly successful touring and recording act, peaking at #58 on the Billboard Hot 100. 'Nobody' was later re-recorded for the group's 2010 album, 'World Gone Crazy.'
1971: The Allman Brothers Band performed at Mile High Raceway in Denver, Colorado.
1972: Ike and Tina Turner appeared at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
1972: At the point of the band splitting up David Bowie offered Mott The Hoople two of his new songs, 'Suffragette City,' which they turned down and 'All The Young Dudes,' which they recorded. The song gave the group a #3 UK and US Top 40 hit.
1973: The Beatles '1967-1970' album went to #1 on the US chart.
1973: The Edgar Winter Group went to #1 on the US singles chart with 'Frankenstein', the bands only US #1. The group featured ex McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. The track that had been over-dubbed and patched so many times in the studio, the band ended up calling it 'Frankenstein.'
1973: Deep Purple releases their 'Smoke On The Water' (edited version) b/w 'Smoke On The Water' (edited version -live) 45 single. The song is based on the true story of how someone had fired a flare gun into the ceiling of the Casino in Montreux, Switzerland, during a concert by Frank Zappa And The Mothers Of Invention. The resulting fire destroyed the building where Deep Purple was set to record a live album the next day. The single will reach #5 in the US and #21 in the UK. In 2004, the song was ranked #434 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, ranked #4 in Total Guitar magazine's Greatest Guitar Riffs Ever, and in March 2005, Q magazine placed 'Smoke on the Water' at #12 in its list of the 100 greatest guitar tracks.
1974: KISS performed at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.
1975: Rush appeared at the Paramount Theatre in Portland, Oregon.
1976: Aerosmith played at Memorial Coliseu in, Fort Wayne, Indiana.
1976: Poco's 11th album, 'Rose of Cimarron' is released. It reached #89 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart, and features the title track, which reached #94 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
1976: Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant launch into a drunken verbal assault of first class passengers on a transatlantic British Airways flight. Among those on board were actors Telly Savalas and Dudley Moore.
1977: The Broadway tribute 'Beatlemania' opened at the Winter Garden Theater.
1977: Kiss give Marvel Comics a vial of their blood to mix with the red ink used to print their upcoming comic book. The photo op takes place at the printing plant in Depew, New York, where the comic will be made.
1977: The Grateful Dead performed at the Civic Center in Baltimore, Maryland.
1978: On Irish television this day, a program called Youngline a series for young people highlighting their interests. It included a feature on a new pop group, The Hype, soon to be renamed U2.
1978: Neil Young appeared at The Boarding House in San Francisco.
1979: 'Sunday Girl' gave Blondie their second UK #1 hit single. The track was taken from the group's 'Parallel Lines,' which went on to become the biggest selling album of 1979.
1979: The first day of the two day Loch Lomond Festival featured The Stranglers, Dr Feelgood, Skids, Third World, The Dickies. Day two featured The Average White Band, Buzzcocks, Rockpile and The Boomtown Rats, who played 'I Don’t Like Mondays' live for the first time.
1983: David Bowie performed at the Amphithéâtre de Fréjus in Fréjus, France.
1984: ‎Scorpions‬ single 'Rock You Like A Hurricane' hit #25 on the ‪‎Billboard‬ singles chart.
1986: ‎Europe‬ released their 3rd studio album, 'The Final Countdown.' The album sold 15 million copies worldwide and peaked at #8 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart.
1989: To demonstrate the power of radio, over 8,000 stations in the US go silent for 30 seconds at 7:42am.
1990: Mötley Crüe’s Nikki Sixx married Brandi Brandt.
1990: David Bowie was sued by his ex wife Angie for $56 million.
1990: Heart peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with 'All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You.' The song was written by Mutt Lange & originally offered to Don Henley.
1993: Megadeth are hit with a lawsuit claiming that the song 'Go To Hell' forced a 15 year old Texas fan to kill his mother. Both Ozzy and Judas Priest have been accused of influencing fans. In 1986 a pair of youths made a suicide pact, apparently forced by Priest's 1978 album Stained Class. Ozzy's '87 song 'Suicide Solution' was also pinpointed as being the reason why a fan killed himself.
1993: Singapore lifted its ban on music by The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Chicago and Creedence Clearwater Revival. The ban against Prince and Guns N' Roses, however, stayed.
1994: Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis' only child, marries the self-proclaimed "King Of Pop," Michael Jackson. The marriage doesn't last two years.
1995: Bodycount guitarist Ernie C is revealed as the producer of Black Sabbath's new record, Forbidden. Ice-T makes a guest appearance on the first cut 'The Illusion Of Power'.
1995: The Rolling Stones played two semi-acoustic concerts at the Paradiso Amsterdam over two days. Keith Richards later said that the Paradiso concerts were the best live shows the Stones ever did. The venue is housed in a converted former church building that dates from the nineteenth century, subsequently squatted in 1967 by hippies who wanted to convert the church into an entertainment club.
1996: A fire at the Chelsea home of Eric Clapton caused over one and a half million pounds worth of damage; Firemen arrived on the scene to find Clapton braving the blaze to save his collection of guitars. Clapton rescues all of his guitars before the 3rd floor caves in.
1996: Van Halen hit #1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs chart with 'Humans Being.' It stays two weeks. ‬
1997: Bob Dylan was admitted to a Malibu Hospital with chest pains, causing all his summer tour to be cancelled.
2000: Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee begins a five day jail sentence for violating his parole by drinking alcohol. A Malibu judge extends Lee’s probation until May 26, 2003, reinstates random drug testing and orders him to enroll in Alcoholics Anonymous.
2002: The first episode of 'At Home With The Osbournes' was shown on MTV in the UK. Already becoming a hit in the the US, the show focused on the madman and his family (his wife Sharon, and two of their three children). Oblivious to the camera, they bicker, squabble, curse and hang out backstage at Ozzy shows.
2004: Blink-182 spend 40 minutes helping paint a home in Harrisburg, PA, as part of Raise The Roof, a partnership between Clear Channel Entertainment and Habitat for Humanity, which provides homes for people in need. The band plays a show that evening at the Star Pavilion in nearby Hershey.
2004: Days after touching down in the Democratic Republic of Congo in order to film a documentary on the war-torn country, Sum 41 are forced to evacuate from their hotel in Bukavu after serious fighting erupts. They are rescued by UN peacekeeper, Chuck Pelletier. Sum 41 would go on to name their third studio album Chuck in honor of Pelletier.
2004: Rush kick off their R30: 30th Anniversary Tour in Nashville, TN at the Starwood Amphitheatre‬.
2005: Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails pulls his band from the MTV Movie Awards over the stage's design. "We were set to perform 'The Hand That Feeds' with an unmolested straightforward image of George W. Bush as the backdrop," says Reznor. Not wanting to get political MTV vetoes the idea. "Apparently, the image of our president is as offensive to MTV as it is to me," concludes Reznor.
2006: Alice In Chains begin a European tour with new front man William DuVall, replacing the late Lane Staley. The first show is at Super Bock Super Rock in Lisbon, Portugal.
2006: Gwen Stefani of No Doubt and her husband, Gavin Rossdale of Bush have their fist child: a son named Kingston James McGregor Rossdale.
2006: The right-leaning National Review reveals their list of the 50 greatest conservative rock songs. At the top is 'Won't Get Fooled Again' by The Who, which is praised for its revolutionary spirit. Next on the list is 'Taxman' by The Beatles and 'Sympathy For The Devil' by The Rolling Stones.
2008: Paul McCartney receives an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Yale University in New Haven, during the school's commencement ceremony. A Yale band plays 'Hey Jude' as McCartney is presented with the doctorate. University President Richard Levin told McCartney "Here, there and everywhere, you have pushed the boundaries of the familiar to create new classics. We admire your musical genius and your generous support of worthy causes."
2009: Marilyn Manson releases 'The High End Of Low.'
2009: 'Black Gives Way To Blue,' Alice In Chains comeback album is certified gold by the RIAA with shipments exceeding 500,000 copies. The group's fourth studio album is their first with vocalist/guitarist William DuVall, who replaced the late Layne Staley.
2010: The Season 9 final of TV's American Idol featured guest appearances by Alice Cooper, Barry and Robin Gibb, Hall And Oates, Joe Cocker, Janet Jackson and The Doobie Brothers' Michael McDonald.
2010: Elton John performs at the Mawazine World Rhythms Festival, the largest music festival in Morocco, despite protests by Islamist groups and conservative parties, who object to the singer's lifestyle. "We deal with artists and intellectuals for what they do, without taking into account their private life," says organizer El Hassan Neffali in a statement. "Somebody's private life is one thing, and their art or creative activities are another."
2010: Bon Jovi play the first of three concerts celebrating the opening of the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. The stadium is the home of the New York Giants and Jets. Train is the opening act, so technically, they are the first to perform in the stadium.
2010: Poison's Bret Michaels appears during the 'American Idol' finale. He performs 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn' with 3rd place finalist James Casey. Lee DeWyze beats Crystal Bowersox in an upset.
2010: The Rolling Stones reissue of their classic album 'Exile On Main Street' peaks at #2 in the U.S. as the 'Glee: Showstoppers' keeps it out of the top spot. The TV show soundtrack outsells the Stones by more than 2 to 1. The Black Keys set 'Brothers,' selling just a few thousand copies less than the Stones, is #3.
2011: Alice Cooper cancels his first concert in 30 years. "Alice got food poisoning somewhere on our trip between Phoenix, Mexico City and Santiago (where the concert was scheduled). Once we were on the plane to Santiago after an 8-hour layover in Mexico City, Alice started to feel ill," says Coop's rep. Alice is back on stage the following evening.
2011: Phil Spector had his latest attempt to overturn his murder conviction rejected by California court officials. The 71-year-old record producer was found guilty of the murder of actress Lana Clarkson and sentenced to 19 years to life behind bars in 2009.
2011: Roger Daltrey was forced to cancel three Summer shows in his native Britain due to poor ticket sales.
2012: Former David Bowie/Tin Machine guitarist Reeves Gabrels makes his debut with The Cure during the band's performance at the PinkPop festival in Holland. Gabrels had previously worked with the group in '97.
2012: Ian Astbury of The Cult marries musician Aimee Nash in Las Vegas.
2012: Judas Priest play the final show of their 'Epitaph' tour to a sold-out audience at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. According to Priest, the 'farewell' trek is their last extensive world tour-but not their last shows. "We don't plan on retiring," says guitarist Glen Tipton. "We've said that this is our last world tour." The show is out on DVD the following month.
2013: Paul McCartney pays his respects at Elvis Presley's grave during the former Beatle's first visit to Graceland. McCartney leaves a personalized guitar pick on grave.
2014: Canadian police charged original Bachman-Turner Overdrive rhythm guitarist Tim Bachman with several sexual offenses that allegedly took place during the 1990s. His arrest came just a year after he was acquitted of similar charges.
2015: US authorities were investigating the death of blues legend B.B. King after two of his daughters claimed he was poisoned. Karen Williams and Patty King said the musician had been given "foreign substances to induce his premature death" by his business manager Laverne Toney. King died in his sleep at his Las Vegas home on May 14th of this year at age 89.
2016: Ozzy Osbourne has a Midland Metro tram named after him in his native Birmingham, England. Then he visits Birmingham Children's Hospital to support fundraising efforts for the construction of a Rare Disease Centre.
2016: The Duff McKagan documentary 'It's So Easy And Other Lies: Live At The Moore' is screened in the U.S. Directed by Christopher Duddy, the Guns N' Roses bassist tells his life story during a 2013 live performance in Seattle.
2016: A set of stamps celebrating 50 years of Pink Floyd were unveiled by the Royal Mail. The ten stamps which would be available the following month marked five decades since the band turned professional. The collection included the band's most famous album covers as well as live performance shots.
2017: Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi sponsors a music scholarship at BIMM Institute Birmingham in England. It recognizes talent and creativity in music.
2017: Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, who committed suicide days earlier in Detroit, is laid to rest at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
2017: In the week following Cornell's death, his work (solo and with Soundgarden/Audioslave) is streamed 32.5 million times (up 549 percent), his album catalog sells 38,000 copies (up 1,732 percent), and his songs garner 144,000 downloads (up 2,222 percent). The top song is Soundgarden’s 'Black Hole Sun.'
2017: Disturbed’s cover of the Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘60’s hit 'The Sound Of Silence' is officially certified double platinum (2 million units) by the Recording Industry Association of America.
2017: Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich is awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Dannebrog. It is an Order of Denmark, instituted by Christian V in 1671.

May 27
1957: Buddy Holly and the Crickets released their first record, 'That'll Be The Day.' A UK #1 and US #3 hit. was later ranked at #39 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time. In 2005, the recording was placed in the National Recording Registry, a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States."
1963: Bob Dylan 'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan' is released. Establishing Dylan as a leader in the singer-songwriter genre and a supposed spokesman for the youth-orientated protest movement, it reached #22 on the US charts and #1 on the UK charts. 'The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan' showcased Dylan’s songwriting talent for the first time and propelled him to national and international fame. It was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry in 2002. The citation read: "This album is considered by some to be the most important collection of original songs issued in the 1960s. It includes 'Blowin' in the Wind,' the era's popular and powerful protest anthem." The following year, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #97 on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
1964: 11 boys are suspended at a boarding school in London for having hair like Mick Jagger's.
1966: Before performing at London’s Royal Albert Hall, Bob Dylan invited The Beatles into his dressing room. Paul McCartney played Dylan an early version of 'Tomorrow Never Knows.' Dylan remarked “Oh, I get it, you don’t want to be cute anymore.”
1966: The Exploding Plastic Inevitable show, featuring The Velvet Underground and the Mothers of Invention, plays its first gig on the West Coast, at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium.
1967: Columbia and RCA Victor, two of America's biggest record labels, announce that they will raise the list price of L.P.s by one dollar on June 1st. It's the first increase since 1953.
1967: The Who play one of their weirdest dates, the Oxford Pembroke College May Ball, in Oxfordshire, England. They are expected to play dance music but most of the prom goers spend the evening with their hands over their ears as first Cream and then The Who perform their standard repertoire. Pete’s guitar is stolen after the show.
1967: The Doors, Country Joe and the Fish, Andrew Staples and Captain Speed played the Earl Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara, CA. The attendance was 3,750.
1967: Pink Floyd appeared at the 'Bank Holiday Beano' held at the Civic Hall, Nantwich, England. The supporting act was The SOS.
1968: Pink Floyd were at EMI Studios, Abbey Road, St. Johns Wood in London recording tracks for 'A Saucerful of Secrets.'
1968: The Iron Butterfly record their seventeen minute epic 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida' at Ultrasonic Studios in Hempstead, Long Island, New York. The west coast band performs the song as part of a soundcheck while waiting for their producer to arrive and are unaware they are being recorded. According to VH1 (in '09), the title track of the multi-platinum album is the 24th greatest Hard Rock song of all time.
1969: Led Zeppelin appeared at the Boston Tea Party in Boston, Massachusetts.
1972: Spirit and The J Geils Band played at the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago.
1972: David Bowie appeared at Ebbisham Hal in, Epsom, England on his Ziggy Stardust tour.
1972: The Rolling Stones' 'Tumbling Dice' peaks at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart.
1973: The Allman Brothers Band played at the Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, California.
1974: Aerosmith appeared at the JFK Coliseum Manchester, New Hampshire.
1975: Wishbone Ash performed at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan.
1975: Wings 4th album 'Venus and Mars' is released (May 30 in the UK). It topped both the Billboard 200 Top LP's & Tape chart, and the UK Albums chart.
1976: Keith Moon arrives at Brecknock School in North London school to inspect the boys of the 51st Company of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. For the occasion, Keith dons full evening attire. Keith had spent £500 ($750) on brand new bugles and drums. “Blimey,” he tells the press, “I know just how they felt playing with rotten instruments. I was in the sea cadets as a boy.” That night he and John attend the Rolling Stones’ concert at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London.
1976: Aerosmith's 'Last Child' b/w 'Combination' 45 single is released. The song peaked at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100.
1977: The Sex Pistols single 'God Save The Queen' was released in the UK. Banned by TV and radio, high street shops and pressing plant workers refused to handle the record. It sold 200,000 copies in one week and peaked at No.2 on the UK charts behind Rod Stewart's 'I Don't Want to Talk About It'. There have been persistent rumours, (never confirmed or denied), that it was actually the biggest-selling single in the UK at the time, and the British Phonographic Industry conspired to keep it off the #1 slot.
1977: Declan McManus made his live debut as Elvis Costello at the Nashville in London.
1977: Elvis Costello 'Alison' b/w 'Welcome To The Working Week' 45 single is released in the UK. Because 'Alison' was recorded before Elvis Costello and the Attractions formed, his backing band was Clover. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it #318 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and Entertainment Weekly voted it as one of Costello's top 10 greatest tunes.
1978: Bruce Springsteen performed at The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA.
1978: The Rolling Stones release 'Miss You.'
1979: Yes appeared at the San Diego Sports Arena.
1980: Journey played at the Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois, a Chicago suburb.
1980: Go Go's 'We Got The Beat' b/w 'How Much More' 45 single is released in the UK. The song's single release brought the Go-Go's underground credibility in the UK. The song climbed to #35 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart due to the popularity of the song in clubs as an import. The following year the Go Go's re-recorded the song for their debut album 'Beauty and the Beat.' Released in January 1982 as the album's second single, the song became the Go-Go's biggest hit, spending three weeks at #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, behind Joan Jett & the Blackhearts' 'I Love Rock 'n Roll.' It was during the song's time in the U.S. top 10 that 'Beauty and the Beat' topped the U.S. Billboard 200.
1980: During a performance taped for Italian TV David Lee Roth vaults off drummer Alex Van Halen's drum riser and right into some low hanging lights. The Van Halen frontman suffers a fractured nose and multiple contusions.
1981: Van Halen headlined at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio
1983: Metallica finish recording the album 'Kill 'Em All.'
1983: Motorhead released the single 'I Got Mine.'
1984: Bob Dylan performed at the Arena di Verona in Verona, Italy.
1984: The 'American Rock Festival' took place at Timber Ridge Ski Area in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The lineup featured Ozzy Osbourne, Triumph, Motley Crue, Night Ranger, Accept and Ratt.
1986: Journey​ release their 9th studio album, 'Raised on Radio.'
1987: During a U2 concert in Rome, the sound system was so loud, emergency services was flooded with calls from local residents who thought they were being hit by an earthquake.
1988: The Monsters of Rock Tour, which featured Van Halen, Scorpions, Metallica, Dokken and Kingdom Come, kicks off with a 3-night stand at the Alpine Valley Music Theater in Wisconsin. The tour lasts for two months.
1988: Def Leppard kicked off the third leg of their North American Hysteria world tour at George M. Sullivan Arena in Anchorage, Alaska.
1989: The Cult peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with 'Sonic Temple,' which went on to sell one million copies in the U.S. It spends 33 weeks on the chart.
1989: The Beach Boys and Chicago began touring together for the first time in 14 years. Brian Wilson joined the group for a few shows during the tour.
1989: The Grateful Dead performed at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum in Oakland, California.
1989: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes The Cult’s 'Fire Woman' at #84 (debut), Warrant's 'Down Boys' at #50, Cinderella’s 'Coming Home' at #30, Lita Ford & Ozzy Osbourne’s 'Close My Eyes Forever' at #10, Bon Jovi’s 'I’ll Be There For You' at #9, and Guns N’ Roses’ 'Patience' at #5.
1993: The Red Hot Chili Peppers 'greatest hits' package 'What Hits!?' is certified platinum.
1994: The Eagles played their first show in fourteen years when they played a show in Burbank, California. The Hell Freezes Over tour is the group's fist since parting ways in '80. The tour's title is a reference to a Don Henley quote regarding the prospects of an Eagles reunion. With this tour, The Eagles become the first to charge over $100 per ticket for arena shows.
1995: 'Cracked Rear View' by Hootie & the Blowfish becomes the #1 album about 10 months after it was first released.
1996: Rob Halford unveiled his new project, imaginatively-titled Halford.
1997: The legendary HSAS side-project, 'Through The Fire,' featuring Sammy Hagar, Journey guitarist Neil Schon, Santana drummer Michael Shrieve and bassist Kenny Aaronson, is released for the first time on CD in North America.
1997: Oasis singer Liam Gallagher was left with cuts and bruises after a scuffle with a youth at the Tower Thistle Hotel in east London. Members of the band had been drinking at the bar when the fight broke out.
1998: AC/DC are among the artists honored in a new series of Australian stamps designed to honor Aussie rock greats of the 50s, 60s, and 70s - their 1975 classic 'It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock N' Roll)' provided the inspiration for one of the new designs.
1998: Drummer Simon Wright rejoins Dio.
1998: Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward remains in a London hospital after suffering a mild heart attack during rehearsals for Sabbath's European tour.
1999: Winners at the Ivor Novello song writing awards included Rod Stewart who won a Lifetime Achievement Award and Chrissie Hynde won outstanding contribution to British Music.
1999: Rush became the first rock band to receive a star on the Canadian Walk of Fame in Toronto.
2000: Paula Yates was awarded $680,000 in an out-of-court settlement from her boyfriend Michael Hutchence fortune. Hutchence had died in 1997 INXS singer Hutchence was found dead in his hotel suite in Sydney in 1997 at age 37.
2001: Aerosmith's Steven Tyler sings 'The Star-Spangled Banner' at the 85th annual Indianapolis 500.
2003: The three surviving members of Led Zeppelin: Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, appeared at the New York premiere screening of the band's self-titled DVD.
2003: Led Zeppelin‬ released the live album 'How The West Was Won.' It was recorded during the California portion of their '73 North American tour at the Los Angeles Forum and The Long Beach Arena.
2003: Metallica premiered the video for 'St. Anger,' filmed at San Quentin State Prison, on MTV2.
2003: Vince Neil releases live solo album, 'Live at the Whisky: One Night Only.' It includes Slash/Gene Simmons drummer Brent Fitz, Sebastian Bach guitarist Brent Woods & Union bassist Jamie Hunting. ‬
2004: The Darkness are named Songwriters Of The Year at Britain's Ivor Novello Awards held in London. "It's a great award because it's the heaviest," cracks frontman Justin Hawkins. Radiohead nabs the International Achievement trophy.
2005: New York jurors award Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor $2.9 million and full control of all the band's trademarks in a lawsuit he filed in '04 against his former manager John Malm. Reznor accused Malm of fraud and breach of fiduciary duties.
2006: Red Hot Chili Peppers started a two-week run at #1 on the US album chart with ‘Stadium Arcadium’ the bands ninth studio album. It's the band's first #1 in their 22 year career.
2006: Bruce Springsteen's U.S. tour in support of his album 'We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions' launches in Boston. The Boss takes along a 17-member backing band to do justice to the songs of the legendary Folk singer Pete Seeger.
2006: Texas Rockers Flyleaf conclude their first-ever headlining tour in Noblesville, IN.
2007: The Police play a special show for fan club members at General Motors Place in Vancouver, Canada, a day prior to the launch of their world tour (also in Vancouver).
2007: Saatchi & Saatchi were fired by Doc Martens for running an advertising campaign featuring dead rock stars such as Kurt Cobain and Sid Vicious wearing the brand's boots in heaven. David Suddens, the chief executive of Doc Martens parent company Airwear, said the brand had not commissioned the series of four print ads. "Dr Martens are very sorry for any offence that has been caused by the publication of images showing dead rock icons wearing Dr Martens boots."
2008: Sir Paul McCartney was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Yale University in the United States. Yale's president, Richard Levin, said; The former Beatle had awakened a generation, giving a fresh sound to rock and roll and to rhythm and blues. A band played Hey Jude as Sir Paul, 65, walked on stage to accept his degree.
2008: Bono's humanitarian efforts earn him an honorary doctorate from Tokyo's Keio University.
2008: John Lennon's estate backs a joint initiative between Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream and Peace One Day to promote the nonprofit organization's Peace Day event later in the year. The partnership announcement in New York is highlighted by a re-creation of Lennon and Yoko Ono's '69 Montreal "bed-in" event to promote the ice-cream company's Lennon-themed flavor-Imagine Whirled Peace.
2009: Gerard Way (of My Chemical Romance) becomes a father when wife Lyn-Z (of Mindless Self Indulgence) gives birth to daughter Bandit Lee.
2009: Limp Bizkit kicks off their comeback tour in Riga, Latvia, marking their first concert together in eight years. "We are blessed to be united again," says frontman Fred Durst.
2009: A credit card company sued Courtney Love, claiming she owed more than $350,000. In court papers filed in Los Angeles, American Express said it had suspended Love's Amex Gold card after she "failed and refused" to make payments.
2010: Dozens of AC/DC fans needed treatment after complaining of burning eyes during a concert on the runway of Wels Airport, Wels, Austria. Around 150 fans had to be treated. Doctors found that the fans showed allergic reactions to bark mulch spread at the venue, the runway of Wels Airport, to avoid the soil getting too muddy after hours of massive rainfall.
2010: Velvet Underground's Lou Reed and his wife, performance artist Laurie Anderson, curate the month-long Sydney Vivid Live Festival. Reed, Anderson and Metric's Emily Haines are among the performers but what's really of note is Reed and Anderson's high-frequency concert for dogs as "an inter-species social gathering." The short concert (based on dog's limited attention span) is inaudible to humans.
2011: Metallica frontman James Hetfield is inducted into the Downey High School Hall of Fame. "I hated my school, literally, I hid as much as possible in my music and listening to music," says Hetfield during the ceremony. "I showed up in classes to get credits and things, just to make it through, but I really did not feel like I identified with anyone. So to be back here is completely surreal." Hetfield attended the California school for his freshmen and sophomore years.
2011: Elton John and his partner David Furnish are the first gay couple nominated for the Premier Inn Celebrity Dad of the Year Award. They became parents to son Zachary the previous Christmas. The honor goes to the celebrity dad who balances a hectic public life with the demands of parenting.
2012: On his 90th birthday, actor Christopher Lee announces the release of his Heavy Metal single 'Let Legend Mark Me as the King.'
2013: A report was published saying how many musicians were frustrated with fans filming gigs on their smartphones. Jack White and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs had both put up signs at their concerts asking people to leave their mobiles in their pockets.
2014: Paul McCartney leaves Japan after being discharged from a Tokyo hospital following five days for treatment of a virus that caused the former Beatle to cancel his tour of the country and a show in South Korea.
2014: Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora debuts an anti-drug song, "Lighthouse," during his appearance at a Toms River, N.J. drug abuse forum. The event raises awareness of heroin and painkiller abuse among school kids. Sambora struggled with alcohol abuse.
2014: The Beastie Boys' suit against Monster Energy begins. The group's remaining members and the wife of late MC Adam Yauch allege that Monster used several of their songs in advertising without gaining permission first. The group seeks $150,000 in damages.
2014: Marty Friedman released his 12th studio album, 'Inferno.'
2015: A collection of Pearl Jam promotional concert posters is unveiled at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The exhibit, screen prints commissioned over the years, is part of the Experience the City of Music program at the airport.
2015: The Vaccines question the decision to make The Who one of the headline acts of Glastonbury 2015, saying that Florence & The Machine should have been given the honor instead. "The Who are such a safe booking," says The Vaccines frontman Justin Young. "People are complaining about the lack of women at the top of festival bills and the lack of new artists."
2015: Queen: Play The Game, the band's official app, is out. It contains "imagery from Queen's official archive."
2015: A U.S. District Judge granted a motion for class certification in a lawsuit against Sirius-XM over its performance of pre-1972 sound recordings. The suit, originally launched by Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan (Flo and Eddie) of The Turtles, was now open to anyone who owns a pre-1972 recording that got played on Sirius-XM's satellite radio service after August 21, 2009.
2016: The three-day Rocklahoma celebrates its tenth year in Pryor, OK. The line-up includes Disturbed, Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch and Megadeth.
2016: After several bands cancel shows in North Carolina due to the passing of the anti-transgender Bathroom Bill, the Dave Matthews Band plays Charlotte but donates a portion of the proceeds to charitable organizations that defend equality.
2017: Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger says Stone Sour is "Nickelback Lite" and challenges Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor to "write a hit song," during an interview in Stockholm. Taylor responds by calling Kroeger an ‘idiot’.
2017: Gregg Allman, founding member of the The Allman Brothers Band died at the age of 69 at his home in Savannah, Georgia. Allman had suffered a recurrruence of liver cancer five years ago, died from complications of the disease. The band’s main songwriter early on, Allman contributed compositions like 'Dreams' and 'Whipping Post' to the Allman Brothers repertoire. Both songs became staples of their live shows; a cathartic 22-minute version of 'Whipping Post' was a highlight of their acclaimed 1971 live album, At Fillmore East. Allman was married seven times, and had five children. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 with the Allman Brothers.

May 28
1955: Elvis Presley makes his first appearance on the Big D Jamboree radio program, broadcast from the Dallas Sportatorium by KRLD.
1957: The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) is established. They launch the Grammy Awards in 1958.
1958: Buddy Holly gets his draft notice, but poor eyesight keeps him out of the Army.
1960: The Every Brothers' 'Cathy's Clown' begins a five week run at #1 in the U.S.
1960: Elvis Presley visits Vegas, and his entourage is for the first time dubbed the "Memphis Mafia" in the local media, due to their penchant for wearing long coats and dark glasses.
1963: New York disc jockey Murray The K receives a copy of The Beatles' 'She Loves You' and plays it on radio station WINS-AM. It is believed to be the first Beatles' song ever broadcast in the US.
1963: American Bandstand features The Ronettes performing 'Be My Baby' and Bobby Rydell singing 'Let's Make Love Tonight.'
1964: The BBC received over 8,000 postal applications for tickets for The Rolling Stones forthcoming appearance on the British TV show, Juke Box Dury.
1964: Marianne Faithful records her hit debut 'As Tears Go By.' The song is written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (Rolling Stones) but the real story is who's on the record. Jimmy Page plays guitar and John Paul Jones is on bass. That would be one-half of the future Led Zeppelin.
1965: Elvis Presley's 'Tickle Me' movie opens nationally.
1966: All four Beatles spent the day with Bob Dylan in his room at the Mayfair hotel in London, England.
1966: The Who appear at South Pier in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, watching rushes of D.A. Pennebakers's forthcoming documentary film, 'Don't Look Back,' which covered Dylan's 1965 concert tour of the United Kingdom.
1966: Love appeared at the Whisky A Go Go West Hollywood, California, supported by The Doors.
1966: Produced by Phil Spector (as his crowing achievement), Ike & Tina Turner's epic 'River Deep Mountain High' is released. The song stiffs in the U.S., climbing only to #88 on the American chart (though it enters the Top 5 in England), causing Spector to briefly retire from the music business.
1967: The Who go to CBS Studios, London and record backing tracks for 'I Can See For Miles,' 'Armenia City In The Sky' and 'Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand.' However, further recording is cancelled after Keith ruptures his stomach wall and has to be carted off by ambulance.
1967: The Association make their television debut, performing 'Along Comes Mary' on CBS-TV's Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.
1968: The Beatles had not only their biggest hit, but also the largest selling record of the 1960s when 'Hey Jude' reached the top of the US charts. The song, written by Paul McCartney for John's son Julian, would stay at #1 in America for nine weeks and sell over eight million copies. In 1996, Julian paid 25,000 pounds for the recording notes to the song at an auction.
1969: Led Zeppelin performed at Boston Tea Party in Boston, Massachusetts.
1969: Rolling Stone Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull were arrested at their London home and charged with possession of cannabis, they were released on £50 ($85) bail.
1970: Eric Burdon And War are awarded a Gold record for 'Spill the Wine.'
1971: The James Gang release 'Walk Away.'
1971: Pink Floyd completes four days of recording sessions for Meddle at EMI Studios in London.
1971: B.B. King, Elvin Bishop, Big Brother and the Holding Company with Nick Graventes play the Selland Arena in Fresno, CA.
1971: King Crimson performed at Greens Playhouse, Glasgow, Scotland.
1971: Studio engineer Glyn Johns gives The Who’s 'Won’t Get Fooled Again' its final mix before mastering.
1971: Duncan Zowie Haywood Bowie is born to David Bowie and his wife Angela. Duncan will go on to become the successful film director behind 'Moon' (2009) and 'Source Code' (2011).
1972: Dave Mason, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Linda Ronstadt played at the YMCA downtown center lawn in Peoria, Illinois.
1973: Bassist Ronnie Lane left The Faces and went on to form Slim Chance, (who had the 1974 hit 'How Come'). Lane was disappointed over poor album reviews and Rod Stewart’s lack of commitment.
1973: Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of The Moon was on both the UK and US album charts. It remained in the US charts for 741 discontinuous weeks from 1973 to 1988, longer than any other album in history. (After moving to the Billboard Top Pop Catalog Chart, the album notched up a further 759 weeks, and had reached a total of over 1,500 weeks on the combined charts by May 2006).
1974: Ten Years After played at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
1974: A re-release of The Beach Boys' 1963, #3 hit, 'Surfin' U.S.A.' cracks the Billboard Top 40, reaching #36. It had been over five years since the band had a hit record with 'I Can Hear Music,' which had reached #24. Unfortunately, the re-issue of 'Surfin' fell out of the Top 40 after just one week and they would have to wait until the Summer of 1976 to have another chart entry with 'Rock And Roll Music,' which would climb to #5.
1975: The Doobie Brothers 5th album, 'Stampede,' is certified Gold.
1975: AC/DC appeared at the Sundowner in Geelong, Australia.
1976: Yes headlined at the Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia.
1976: Aerosmith performed at Colt Park in Hartford, Connecticut.
1976: The Allman Brothers Band temporarily disbanded after Greg Allman testified against Scooter Herring, his personal road manager, who was charged with drug trafficking. Herring was subsequently sentenced to 75 years in prison. An album of previously unreleased live material was issued later in the year under the title "Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas". In the two years that the band was apart, Gregg Allman married Cher, while Dickey Betts formed his Great Southern band. Due to the judge’s handling of jurors, Scooter ends up serving only about 3 years in prison. He is later pardoned by President Jimmy Carter, and dies peacefully in 2007.
1977: Bruce Springsteen settles his court battle with his former manager and producer, Mike Appel, after not being able to record for two years. Appel was instrumental in getting Springsteen his contract with CBS and also produced his first three albums.
1977: Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers played together for the first time when they performed as part of Mike Howletts band, Strontium 90 in Paris France.
1977: Heart, Steve Miller, The Eagles and Foreigner all appeared at a Day On The Green concert from the Oakland-Alameda County Stadium in Oakland, California.
1977: The Grateful Dead performed at the Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
1977: Heart's 'Barracuda' b/w 'Cry To Me' 45 single is released. It was the first single from the band's second album 'Little Queen' and became Heart's second top-20 hit in the U.S., peaking at # 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2009, it was named the 34th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.
1978: Rush played at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin.
1979: Rush appeared at Stadhalle in Offenbach, Germany.
1979: Jimmy McCulloch, guitarist with Thunderclap Newman and Wings, was found dead in his flat in Maida Vale, North West London after suffering heart failure. He was 26.
1982: 'Rocky III' hits theaters. This one features a new theme song written around a key line of dialogue in the film: 'Eye of the Tiger.' Sylvester Stallone asked the upstart Chicago band Survivor to write and record the song when he couldn't get permission to use the Queen song 'Another One Bites The Dust.'
1982: Frank Zappa performed at the Palais des Sports in St Etienne, France.
1982: Promoter Bill Graham staged a special Vietnam Veterans benefit concert in San Francisco starring The Jefferson Starship, The Grateful Dead and Country Joe.
1982: Roxy Music's 8th album 'Avalon' is released. It reached #53 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart, and topped the UK Albums chart. The single, 'More Than This,' preceded the album and was a Top 10 hit in Britain (#6).
1983: The four day US Festival '83' kicked off in Devore, California. It featured The Clash, U2, David Bowie, The Pretenders, Van Halen, Stray Cats, Men At Work, Judas Priest, Stevie Nicks, Willie Nelson, INXS, Joe Walsh, Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Triumph and the Scorpions. Over 750,000 fans attended the festival, including 350,000 of them on Heavy Metal Sunday.
1983: Iron Maiden release the 'Piece Of Mind' album.
1983: Slash is in the audience at the legendary Gazzarri’s on the Sunset Strip in LA. for the band Rapidfire’s show, when he first sees Axl Rose perform live.
1984: Lita Ford released her 2nd solo album, 'Dancin' on the Edge.' The band was made up of drummer Randy Castillo, Aldo Nova on keyboards and bassist Hugh McDonald.
1985: D-A-D (then known as Disneyland After Dark) unveil their 1st release, the E.P. 'Standin' On the Never Never.'
1985: Lizzy Borden released their 1st full-length studio album, 'Love You to Pieces.'
1986: Bob Seger's 'Like A Rock' album, featuring the title track and 'American Storm,' is certified platinum.
1988: Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler married second wife Teresa Barrick in her hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. This was Tyler’s second marriage and the couple would divorce in January 2006.
1988: Iron Maiden peaked at #12 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with 'Seventh Son of a Seventh Son,' which went on to go Gold in the U.S.
1988: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes Robert Plant’s 'Tall Cool One' at #46, Midnight Oil’s 'Beds Are Burning' at #36, Def Leppard’s 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' at #32, Poison’s 'Nothin’ But A Good Time' at #30, Cheap Trick’s 'The Flame' at #29, Aerosmith’s 'Angel' at #27, Lita Ford’s 'Kiss Me Deadly' at #26 & White Lion’s 'Wait' at #9‬.
1990: Mitch Mitchell former drummer with The Jimi Hendrix Experience took out a High Court action against Private Eye magazine over an allegedly defamatory item.
1990: Motley Crue released the single 'Don't Go Away Mad,(Just Go Away).' It peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts.
1991: Smashing Pumpkins released their debut studio album, 'Gish.'
1995: Hootie & the Blowfish started a four-week run at #1 on the US album charts with 'Cracked Rear View.' The album went on to sell over 15 million copies.
1996: Depeche Mode singer Dave Gahan was rushed to Cedars Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles after an apparent drug overdose. The singer was later arrested for possession of cocaine and heroin.
1996: Slayer released their 7th studio album, 'Undisputed Attitude.'
2000: The White Stripes perform on TV for the first time, playing 'Apple Blossom' and 'You're Pretty Good Looking' on the Detroit Public Television series 'Backstage Pass.'
2000: Suzi Gardner of L7 becomes the first woman casted by Cynthia Plaster Caster, who has worked on a number of rock stars, including Jimi Hendrix. For her female subjects, which later include Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab and Karen O of Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, Cynthia molds their breasts.
2001: Tony Ashton, frequent collaborator with Deep Purple and many of their members on solo projects, dies of cancer. He was 55. Ashton was also a writer and an artist whose work appeared on many CD covers.
2002: Mastodon released their debut album, 'Renmission.' The track 'Crusher Destroyer was featured in the 2003 video game Tony Hawk's Underground.
2004: The Jim Jarmusch-directed indie flick 'Coffee And Cigarettes' opens with Meg and Jack White (White Stripes).
2005: System Of A Down perform at Madrid's Festimad. Sixty-mile an hour winds blow the roof off the outdoor stage. Promoters want to cancel but S.O.A.D. waits out the storm and hits the stage at 3:45 am playing a full set for the 30,000 in attendance.
2005: A Mick Jagger impersonator spent over an hour accepting free drinks and enjoying VIP perks at a New York night spot. Club officials only realized that the man wasn't Jagger after looking at a photo of the Rolling Stones' front man and noticing that the unnamed imposter was younger and heavier than Jagger.
2006: Staind perform at the 90th running of the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
2006: Beck and the members of his band are accompanied on stage by marionette puppets of themselves during their headlining performance at the Sasquatch! Festival in George (about 125 miles east of Seattle), WA.
2007: The Police kicked off their 152 show 30th Anniversary Reunion Tour at General Motors Place in Vancouver, Canada in front of 22,000 fans. The tour went on for fifteen months, sold 3.7 million tickets & went on to gross $358 million, making it the third highest grossing tour of all time.
2007: Chris Cornell released his 2nd solo studio album, 'Carry On.'
2008: American guitarist Jerry Cole died aged 68. He first entered the pop music scene as one of The Champs along with Glen Campbell. Cole and Campbell later formed the Gee Cee's and released one single called 'Buzzsaw Twist'. He backed up Elvis Presley in 1974 and also worked with Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Aretha Franklin, The Righteous Brothers, Little Richard, Ray Charles, Tony Orlando & Dawn, Lou Rawls, Gregg Allman, Lee Hazlewood, Blood Sweat & Tears, Kenny Rogers, Neil Diamond, Steely Dan, The Beach Boys and Isaac Hayes.
2008: Motley Crue's Tommy Lee and Rapper Ludacris headline a benefit concert in L.A. for the Griffith Park Recovery Fund.
2009: Pearl Jam's performance of 'The Fixer' is filmed by director Cameron Crowe for a Target commercial.
2009: Lucy Vodden (nee O'Donnell), the childhood pal of John Lennon's son Julian, passed away at the age of 46 after losing her battle with auto-immune disease lupus. She was the inspiration for The Beatles' track "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds", written mostly by John after Julian showed his father a nursery school drawing he called "Lucy - in the sky with diamonds," depicting his classmate.
2010: While still recovering from a brain hemorrhage and a "warning stroke," Bret Michaels (Poison) performs his first concert since suffering the health setbacks. The show is Biloxi, MS.
2010: Reality TV star Kelly Osbourne told the press that her father Ozzy was once banned from her school in England after passing wind and falling asleep in the middle of a parent / teacher interview.
2012: Iron Maiden's 'The Number Of The Beast' is named the greatest album in British music made during Queen Elizabeth II's 60-year reign, according to retailer HMV's online survey of 30,000 music fans.
2013: Alice In Chains release 'The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here.' It's the group's second full-length effort with singer William DuVall.
2013: Black Star Riders, a the Thin Lizzy offshoot, release their debut album, 'All Hell Breaks Loose' in the U.S.
2013: The George Harrison memorial garden at the Bhaktivedanta Manor Estate near Watford is open to the public. "It is not generally known that George Harrison was an immensely talented and passionate gardener," says Harrison's widow, Olivia. The Bhaktivedanta Manor Estate, established in '73, is northwest of London.
2014: Filming begins for the final season of FX's 'Sons Of Anarchy' with Marilyn Manson in a recurring role as a white supremacist named Ron Tully.
2014: The Rolling Stones top Billboard magazine's list of the top 25-selling live acts of the past 25 years grossing more than $1.5 billion on the road since '90, playing more than 500 shows to almost 20 million fans. U2 is in second place with Bruce Springsteen third, earning $1.2 billion gross over 700-plus shows in front of 15 million fans.
2015: L7 perform together for the first time in 18 years at the Echo in Los Angeles. The show is in preparation for a reunion tour. 2015: Pete Townshend receives the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award at the MusiCares Benefit Concert in New York City. The award is for Townshend's work with the charity, which assists musicians with addiction recovery. The honor is presented by Bruce Springsteen.
2015: Pink Floyd's two living co-founders, Roger Waters and Nick Mason, help unveil an honorary plaque at London's University of Westminster (formerly Regent Street Polytechnic), the site of the band's formation, to mark the group's 50th anniversary. "If we'd gone up for Britain's Got Talent, I don't think we would have made it past the audition stage; we weren't terribly good," says Mason. "We were effing awful," adds Waters.
2015: Frankie Ford, whose 1959 hit 'Sea Cruise' reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100, died of natural causes at the age of 76.

May 29
1959: Herndon Stadium in Atlanta holds one of the first outdoor rock concerts, featuring Ray Charles, Jimmy Reed, and B.B. King. Nine thousand people attend.
1961: Ricky Nelson has his first Top 10 hit in two years with 'Travelin' Man.' 'Hello Mary Lou' is on the flip-side. The single reaches #1.
1962: Chubby Checker wins a Grammy Award for Best Rock and Roll Recording for 'Let's Twist Again' and Ray Charles wins for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording for 'Hit The Road Jack.'
1965: The Beach Boys 'Help Me Rhonda' knocks The Beatles 'Ticket To Ride' from the top spot on the pop chart. The song, originally released as 'Help Me Ronda' on the LP 'Today!', began to receive radio airplay and was soon re-recorded and issued as a single with the new spelling. It was the first Beach Boys' hit to feature the voice of rhythm guitarist Al Jardine. The record made the Top Ten in eight other countries.
1965: Bob Dylan’s album 'Bringing It All Back Home' was at #1 on the UK charts, his second chart topping album. It would be displaced the following day by the soundtrack to' The Sound of Music.'
1967: The Move, Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, Zoot Money, Geno Washington and The Ram Jam Band all appeared at the Tulip Bulb Auction Hall in Spalding, Lincoln, England. Pink Floyd were only a support band and played in a corner of the shed with a white sheet behind them with the colored oil shining onto it. Tickets cost £1 ($1.70). The poster advertising the show promised a "Knockout Atmosphere."
1969: Crosby, Stills & Nash released their self-titled debut album. It went on to reach #6 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart & sell four million copies in the U.S.
1969: The Who appeared at the Kinetic Playground in Chicago.
1969: The Grateful Dead headline the Memorial Day Ball at Robertson Gym on the UC Santa Barbara campus. Lee Michaels and the Youngbloods opened the show.
1970: Pink Floyd’s soundtrack to the Michelangelo Antonioni film Zabriske Point had its UK album release. It featured previously unreleased Pink Floyd tracks 'Heart Beat, Pig Meat,' 'Crumbling Land,' and 'Come In Number 51, You’re Time Is Up.'
1970: Jethro Tull played at the Eastown Theater in Detroit, Michigan.
1971: Canada's 5 Man Electrical Band enters the US charts with what would prove to be their biggest hit and signature tune, 'Signs.'
1971: 'Brown Sugar,' The Rolling Stones' first release on their own label, became their 6th US #1 single. Speculation on the meaning of the title has ranged from a sexist racial slur to Mexican heroin, but the song was purportedly about Mick Jagger’s affair with American singer Marsha Hunt. They also have the #1 album, 'Sticky Fingers.'
1971: Thirty-six people are given medical attention after unknowingly drinking LSD laced cider at a San Francisco Grateful Dead show at Winterland. This was the first of two nights at Bill Graham’s venue. Tickets cost $2.
1972: Paul McCartney releases his version of the nursery rhyme, 'Mary Had A Little Lamb' as kind of tongue-in-cheek joke to get back at the BBC for banning his earlier single "Give Ireland Back To The Irish". It reached the US Top 30.
1973: The Byrds break up when founding member Roger McGuinn performs his first solo concert at New York's Academy of Music. Use of "The Byrds" name gets sticky in ensuing years, and in 1989 McGuinn plays some shows with original members Chris Hillman and David Crosby to stake their legal claim to the name.
1973: Record executive Clive Davis is fired from Columbia for misappropriating $100,000. He later founded Arista Records and engineered Santana’s comeback with 'Supernatural.'
1973: David Bowie performed at Victoria Hall in Stoke-on-Trent, England.
1973: Mike Oldfield releases his ambient masterpiece 'Tubular Bells.' The opening piano solo was used briefly in the soundtrack to the William Friedkin film 'The Exorcist' (also released in 1973), and the album gained considerable airplay because of the film’s success.
1975: Aerosmith performed at Cobo Arena in Detroit.
1975: Rush appeared at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas.
1976: ZZ Top appear at Groves Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
1977: Fleetwood Mac, Bob Seger, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Kenny Logins all appeared at the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Florida. Tickets cost $10 – $12.50.
1977: Elvis Presley walks off the stage in the middle of the concert in Baltimore upset with his performance. This is the first time Presley ended a show in this matter.
1977: Columbia Records president Goddard Lieberson died of cancer at the age of 66. Lieberson was responsible for the introduction of the LP record and for popularizing soundtracks and original cast albums. He served as president for both Columbia Records (1956-1971; 1973-1975) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
1979: Yes performed at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado.
1980: Thin Lizzy played at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.
1980: The Grateful Dead performed at the Civic Center in Des Moines, Iowa
1981: Bruce Springsteen appeared at the Wembley Arena in London.
1982: The 'Combat Rock' album from The Clash is released.
1982: Paul McCartney started a three week run at #1 on the Billboard album chart with 'Tug Of War.' With contributions from Stevie Wonder, George Martin, Carl Perkins and Ringo Starr, the LP featured 'Ebony And Ivory' and McCartney's ode to John Lennon, 'Here Today.'
1982: Survivor's 'Eye Of The Tiger' b/w 'Take You On A Saturday' 45 single is released.
1983: The US Festival's Heavy Metal Day bangs heads with over 300,000 people partying with Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, Triumph, Scorpions, Motley Crue and Quiet Riot. Van Halen get a record $1.5 million to play Day 2 of Apple founder Steve Wozniak's US Festival, the second and final year of the event. It's the most any act has ever been paid for a single performance.
1983: Kiss play their last concert in their traditional makeup, but 13 years later they slap it on again when they reunite.
1983: Styx played at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi.
1988: Bob Dylan duets with Band drummer Levon Helm on the group's 'The Weight' at a Helm show in New York. The duo also perform Chuck Berry's 'Nadine.'
1989: Lisa Marie Presley gives birth to Elvis' granddaughter, Danielle Riley Keough (pronounced KEE-oh). By the time she reached the age of 14, she was working as a fashion model and has since become an accomplished actress, co-starring in the 2010 film 'The Runaways' with Dakota Fanning, Kristen Stewart and Tatum O'Neal.
1989: John Cipollina, guitarist of Quicksilver Messenger Service, dies from complications of a lifelong genetic disorder that produces symptoms similar to COPD. He was 45 years old. In 2003, he was ranked #32 by Rolling Stone magazine on their 100 Great Guitarist of All Time list.
1991: After just completing the recording of the 'Nevermind' album, Nirvana played a last-minute show at the Jabberjaw in Los Angeles. In the audience was Iggy Pop, Dave Grohl's girlfriend and L7 bassist Jennifer Finch who brought along her best friend Courtney Love.
1992: Concerned that students are identifying with Freddie Mercury, who had recently died of AIDS, the principal at Sacred Heart School in Clifton, New Jersey doesn't allow 8th graders to perform the Queen song 'We Are The Champions' at their graduation ceremony. When students flood the radio station Z100 with requests for the song, it is re-released as a single.
1993: Radiohead's 'Pablo Honey' lands on the U.S. album chart. The first stop is at #184. The album eventually gets to #32 and sells a couple million copies worldwide.
1995: Gamma Ray released their album, 'Land Of The Free.' The face of the figure in the cover is the same of the Helloween album 'Walls Of Jericho.'
1997: Jeff Buckley accidentally drowns in Memphis after jumping into the Wolf River Harbor, a channel of the Mississippi River, with all of his clothes on, including his boots. He was 30 years old. Before drowning, Buckley could be heard singing the chorus to Led Zeppelin’s 'Whole Lotta Love.' No drugs or alcohol were found in his system. Buckley becomes a mythic icon and reaches his biggest sales and popularity after his death.
1999: The skeletal remains of Iron Butterfly bassist Philip Kramer are discovered in Malibu’s Decker Canyon by photographers, four years after he went missing. He disappeared in '95 and was rumored to have fallen victim to foul play. Not so. Kramer apparently drove off a Malibu road on his way to LAX and crashed into a canyon. He was 42.
2000: Iron Maiden‬ released the album 'Brave New World.' It is their first with lead singer Bruce Dickinson since 1992's 'Fear Of The Dark.' It also marked the return of guitarist Adrian Smith.
2001: Quiet Riot released their 10th studio album, 'Guilty Pleasures.' It was their last album to feature Carlos Cavazo and Rudy Sarzo.
2001: The Eagles made their first ever visit to Russia when they appeared at SC Olymisky in Moscow.
2002: David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar kicked off their co-headlining tour at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, OH outside of Cleveland.
2002: A 16ft by 6ft mosaic designed by John Lennon went on display at The Beatles Story museum in Liverpool. The mosaic had been built into Lennon's swimming pool at his Kenwood home in Surrey where he lived between 1964 and 1968.
2004: The video for Linkin Park's final single from their 'Meteora' album, 'Breaking The Habit,' premieres on MTV2.
2004: Saliva frontman Josey Scott marries Kendra Lynnett Edney at Elvis Presley's Memphis estate, Graceland. Memphis native Scott is a Presley fanatic who counts one of the King's former limos among his possessions.
2006: David Gilmour plays the first of two solo shows at London's Royal Albert Hall. The shows are filmed for a DVD directed by David Mallet (who also directed a Gilmour concert DVD four years earlier).
2007: Satellite Party, with ex-Jane's Addiction/Porno For Pyros frontman Perry Farrell, release their debut album, 'The Ultra Payloaded,' containing debut single, 'Wish Upon A Dog Star.'
2007: In an online post, Eddie Van Halen writes that he's "truly grateful" for the encouraging messages sent him during his stay at a rehabilitation facility. "It was an intensely personal thing that I'm not really comfortable talking about right now," says the guitarist. "But I want everyone to know that their support has and always will mean the world to me."
2007: A piano used by John Lennon on the night he died was put up for sale for $375,000 on The Moments in Time memorabilia website. The upright grand piano was part of the Record Plant Recording Studios in New York where the former Beatle recorded his 1971 'Imagine' album. Lennon was said to be so fond of the instrument that he had it moved to whichever studio he was working in and had used the piano hours before being shot on December 8, 1980.
2008: Disturbed perform to a global online audience when they play the Pepsi Free Concert Series in Las Vegas.
2008: KISS has a late-night meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at a hotel in Stockholm, Sweden. The group is in town to play a concert and Rice is there for an international conference on Iraq (and the war). "I was thrilled," says Rice. "It was really fun to meet KISS and Gene Simmons."
2008: A Jimi Hendrix photo exhibit titled 'Hendrix Revealed: A Life Through the Lens' opens with an invite-only party at the Celebrity Vault gallery in Beverly Hills. The display features Hendrix images taken by 17 photographers from '67-'70.
2009: Ozzy Osbourne files a lawsuit against Tony Iommi, his Black Sabbath bandmate. Osbourne claims that Iommi illegally took sole ownership of the Black Sabbath name, and Ozzy wants 50% of the trademark. Ozzy says, “It is with great regret that I had to resort to legal action against my long-term partner Tony Iommi, but after three years of trying to resolve this issue amicably, I feel I have no other recourse.” The lawsuit is settled out of court the following year.
2009: Legendary producer Phil Spector (The Beatles, John Lennon and George Harrison) is sentenced to a prison term of 19 years to life for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson, who was shot to death at Spector's mansion in 2003.
2010: Sabrosa Park (at the small town of Sabrosa, north of Portugal) was renamed B.B. King Park in honor of King and the free concert he had played before 20,000 people.
2010: Paul McCartney feared for his safety after his tour bus came under attack from a group of thugs following a concert at the Foro Sol arena in Mexico City. The bus driver was forced to stop when a mob ran up to the vehicle and began jumping up and down on its roof. Police were eventually called and McCartney's entourage escaped unharmed.
2012: Bob Dylan is among the Medal of Freedom recipients. During a White House ceremony, President Obama says he's "extremely grateful" to be able to personally thank the honorees "for the great work they have done" in America and worldwide. The Medal of Freedom is America's highest civilian honor.
2012: Lisa Marie Presley intervened to stop a letter written to her by ex-husband Michael Jackson from being auctioned. The handwritten note by the late King Of Pop was of a personal nature and was reportedly penned between 1993 and 1996. Auction house owner Darren Julien stated "We wanted to honor the request and continue our good relationship with Ms. Presley."
2013: The Velvet Underground settle a legal dispute with the Andy Warhol Foundation over the rights to use the famous banana cover Warhol designed for the band's 1967 album, 'The Velvet Underground and Nico.' The "confidential settlement" ends a dispute that began four years earlier.
2015: Helloween released their 15th studio album, 'My God Given Right.' It was their 7th consecutive album produced by Charlie Bauerfield.
2017: Tool frontman James Maynard Keenan blasts "entitled snowflakes," during the Boston Calling festival. "Those of you who are law enforcement and military, your job is to defend our right to act like whiny, entitled snowflake assholes. Myself being one,” says Keenan. “Snowflakes, your job is to respect them f**king doing that for you.”
2017: Guests at Noel Gallagher’s 50th birthday party in Oxfordshire include Madonna, U2’s Bono and Stella McCartney (Paul’s daughter), but not Noel’s estranged former Oasis bandmate and younger brother, Liam.

May 30
1956: Time magazine prints an article entitled Teener's Hero, which tries to explain Elvis Presley's mystique. After a drawn-out description of his singing style, the writer says of Presley's appeal: "his movements suggest, in a word, sex."
1964: The Rolling Stones 'England's Newest Hit Makers' album is released. It was the American debut album by the band and it reached #11 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's chart. The album was recorded over five days at Regent Sound Studios in London, through January and February of 1964. It was produced by the managers at the time, Eric Easton and Andrew Loog Oldham.
1964: 'Love Me Do' became The Beatles 4th US #1 hit. The version released in America is one that had Andy White playing drums while Ringo played the tambourine. The British single was a take on which Ringo played the drums.
1965: The Rolling Stones played the final night of a US tour at the New York Academy of Music. During the afternoon the band recorded six songs for the Clay Pole TV show.
1965: The Who performed at Mojo Club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.
1966: The Who appeared at Sincil Bank Football Ground in Lincoln, England.
1966: The Doors appeared at the Hullabaloo in West Hollywood, California.
1966: The Jefferson Airplane perform at a benefit for the Haight-Ashbury Legal Organization in San Francisco.
1966: The Young Rascals 'You Better Run' b/w 'Love Is A Beautiful Thing' 45 single is released.
1966: The Beatles 'Paperback Writer' b/w 'Rain' 45 single is released. The single went to the #1 spot in the United States, United Kingdom, West Germany, Australia, New Zealand and Norway. On the US Billboard Hot 100, the song was at number one for two non-consecutive weeks, being interrupted by Frank Sinatra's 'Strangers in the Night.' 'Paperback Writer' was the last new song by the Beatles to be featured on their final tour in 1966, and was the group's only U.S. #1 released that year.
1968: The Beatles began recording what became known as the White Album, a two LP set whose official title was simply 'The Beatles.' The first track they lay down is 'Revolution.'
1968: Cream appeared at Eagles Auditorium in Seattle, Washington.
1969: Led Zeppelin played the first of two nights at The Fillmore East in New York City.
1969: Neil Young & Crazy Horse performed at La Cave in Cleveland, Ohio.
1971: The Allman Brothers Band played at the State Fairgrounds Coliseum in Detroit, Michigan.
1972: Roxy Music play their first major date at Lincolnshire, England’s Great Western Express Festival.
1973: David Bowie appeared at the New Theatre Oxford in Oxford, England.
1973: George Harrison's 'Living in the Material World' album is released. It topped the Billboard 200 Top LP's & Tape chart for five consecutive weeks beginning late June.
1975: Aerosmith played at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
1975: Alice Cooper’s first solo album 'Welcome to My Nightmare' was certified Gold by the RIAA.
1976: Rush performed at the Nelson Center in Springfield, Illinois.
1977: It’s the last chance to see Elvis play Florida as he appears tonight at Jacksonville’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
1978: Led Zeppelin enters a recording studio for the first time since the death of Robert Plant's son, Karac, in July 1977. The sessions will be the band's final proper studio album, 1979's 'In Through The Out Door.'
1979: Yes performed at the Civic Center in Amarillo, Texas.
1980: Carl Radle, bass guitarist for Derek And The Dominos, died of kidney failure. He was just 37 years old. Radle worked on all of Clapton’s solo projects in the 70’s, and was a session musician who worked with Joe Cocker, Leon Russell, Dave Mason, Buddy Guy, George Harrison, J.J. Cale, the Band and many others.
1980: Peter Gabriel's 3rd album, 'Peter Gabriel (Melt) is released. The album reached #22 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart, and hit #1 on the UK Albums chart. It also contains two of Gabriel's most famous songs, the U.K. Top 10 hit 'Games Without Frontiers' and the political song 'Biko,' about the late anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko.
1981: Phil Collins 'In The Air Tonight' b/w 'The Roof Is Leaking' 45 single is released.
1981: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes debuts by Phil Collins’ 'In The Air Tonight' at #89 & April Wine’s 'Sign Of The Gypsy Queen' at #87. Rick Springfield’s 'Jessie’s Girl' was #24, Styx’s 'Too Much Time On My Hand at # and REO Speedwagon’s 'Take It On The Run' at #5.‬
1981: Pete Townshend plays a solo show at Brockwell Park in Brixton, England in support of a march against unemployment in Britain.
1981: ZZ Top played at the Birmingham–Jefferson Civic Center in Birmingham, Alabama.
1984: King Crimson performed at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, Canada.
1987: David Bowie kicked off his 87-date Glass Spider world tour at the Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam, Holland.
1987: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes Mötley Crüe’s 'Girls Girls Girls' at #68 (debut), Europe’s 'Rock The Night' at #43, Heart’s 'Alone' at #27, Poison’s 'Talk Dirty To Me' at #24, Bon Jovi’s 'Wanted Dead Or Alive' at #10 and Bryan Adams’ 'Heat Of The Night' at #8.
1989: Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) appears on a British TV show called 'Hypotheticals,' where he addresses the fatwa issued against the author Salman Rushdie. Islam seems to support the fatwa - when asked if he would attend a protest where a Rushdie effigy is burned, he replies, "I would have hoped that it'd be the real thing."
The remarks alienate many Cat Stevens fans, including members of the band 10,000 Maniacs, who pull their cover of 'Peace Train' from future pressings of the 'In My Tribe' album.
1990: Midnight Oil plays in front of the Exxon Building in New York to protest the corporation's global polluting.
1992: The Black Crowes went to #1 on the US album chart with 'The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion.'
1992: Paul Simon marries Edie Brickell. Simon, who was previously married to Carrie Fisher, was 26 years older than Brickell when they wed.
1994: Metallica kick off the 'Shit Hits The Sheds' tour at the Darrien Lake Performing Arts Centre near Buffalo, in support of the recently released 'Live Shit Binge & Purge' box set. Danzig and Suicidal Tendencies open the show.
1996: Gin Blossoms release 'Til I Hear It From You'/'Follow You Down' as a double-sided single.
1996: John Kahn, bassist for The Jerry Garcia Band, dies of a heart attack. He was 48. Kahn was also an occasional collaborator with the Grateful Dead and an in-demand session musician. As a child, one of his babysitters was Marilyn Monroe.
1997: Neil Young cancelled his European tour after he cut his finger open while making a ham sandwich.
2001: The Home Shopping Network sells three autographed guitars with signatures from Metallica's James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Jason Newsted, and Lars Ulrich within three minutes for $1,495 each.
2003: Rod Stewart files for divorce from model Rachel Hunter. They separated in 1999 and have two children.
2003: Mickie Most, producer of artists such as The Animals, Jeff Beck & Herman’s Hermits died of cancer. He was 64 years old.
2005: Judas Priest kicks off their 'Angels Of Retribution' reunion tour in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
2005: Despite efforts by the Greek Orthodox Church, Slipknot performs at the Lykavittos Theatre in Athens. The church campaigned to cancel the show because they disapproved of the band's 'shocking' appearance and felt their song lyrics and concerts promoted Satanism. Yikes!
2006: 'The Hard Stuff' from George Thorogood and the Destroyers is released. The 15-track disc has originals and vintage Blues tunes.
2007: Four of Aerosmith's five members visit Navy aircraft carrier, USS Nimitz, on their way to a concert in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. They group does a 'meet-and-greet' with military personnel.
2007: Paul McCartney uses the Home Shopping Network to promote his album. A 30-minute special on 'Memory Almost Full,' has in-studio footage as McCartney discusses the recording of the album.
2007: A leaked copy of the new White Stripes album 'Icky Thump' was played completely on Chicago's radio station Q101-WKQX. Jack White personally called the US radio station from Spain, where he was touring, to voice his displeasure.
2007: Ozzy Osbourne's 'Black Rain' album is his highest-charting ever. It debuts at #3 on the Billboard 200 after selling 152,000 copies in its first week.
2008: Green Day went to #1 on the US album chart with ‘21st Century Breakdown,’ the bands eighth studio album.
2008: Everclear plays the first of two shows for U.S. soldiers when they take the stage at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. "There are folks in uniform all over the world, and at home, looking out for us-and to play for them is an honor," says frontman Art Alexakis. A second concert for military personnel is on Oahu five weeks later (7/6).
2008: Disturbed perform 'Into The Fire' at Spike TV's Guys Choice awards in Culver City, CA. Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash snags the Outstanding Literary Achievement honor for his bio.
2009: Billy Idol and Dave Mason perform at the For The Arts benefit concert in Santa Monica, CA. The event supports the Education Foundation of Santa Monica & Malibu in the organization's effort to raise $15 million for a "permanent endowment fund" benefiting music and art programs at the area's public schools.
2009: At Spike TV's Guy's Choice ceremony in Culver City, CA, Eddie Van Halen is presented the Guitar God honor and Metallica gets the fan-voted Ballsiest Band award.
2009: Mick Jagger offered to buy an ice cream van but was turned down by its owner - who'd promised his daughter he would drive her to her wedding in it. Guiseppe Della Camera, had spent ten years restoring the rusting van to perfection after he spotted it on a farm - being used as a chicken shed. The restoration was such a success Sir Mick offered to buy the vehicle when he saw it at a show on Wandsworth Common. Camera said, 'Jagger told me he'd really fallen in love with my van and asked me if I would consider selling it. I was stunned when he offered me £100,000.
2009: Ozzy Osbourne was suing the band's guitarist Tony Iommi over royalty payments. The 60-year-old had accused Iommi of falsely claiming to have sole rights to the band's name which has cost him royalties from merchandise sales. Osbourne was seeking unspecified damages, lost profits and a declaration he is a half-owner of the trademark. Iommi claims Osbourne legally relinquished rights to the band's name in the 1980s. Osbourne said he believed all four original members of the band should share Black Sabbath's name equally.
2009: 81-year-old music legend Fats Domino made a rare appearance at a charity event in New Orleans that raises funds to rebuild schools and playgrounds damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Although he did not perform, The Fat Man watched his old friends Little Richard, B.B. King and Chuck Berry hit the stage and waved at the 3,000-strong crowd.
2010: Ronnie James Dio, who fronted Black Sabbath, Dio, Rainbow, and Heaven & Hell, is laid to rest at the Hall of Liberty in the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood Hills. He passed away two weeks earlier from stomach cancer.
2011: Blondie's 'Panic Of Girls,' the group's first album in eight years, is available for download.
2012: Slash's album, 'Apocalyptic Love,' is #1 on the Independent Albums Chart and also tops the Hard Music Albums Chart in its first week of release. The album sits at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart and #2 on the Canadian chart.
2013: As I Lay Dying singer Tim Lambesis posts a bond and is released from the San Diego County jail after being arrested for allegedly hiring a hitman to kill his wife.
2013: On a more positive note, Aerosmith, Extreme, Godsmack, The J. Geils Band and Boston are among the performers at the Boston Marathon benefit concert at the TD Garden. Donations are distributed to the survivors of the 4/15 bombings and to the families of those killed in the terrorist attack.
2013: Jack White pays $142,000 in back taxes for Detroit's historic Masonic Temple saving it from a threatened auction. Masonic directors rename one of the venue's several stages the Jack White Theater.
2013: The 9th annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert at Club Nokia in L.A honors Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington. He receives the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award for his support of the fund. The MusiCares MAP Fund aids musicians recovering from addiction. 2013
2013: A new museum dedicated to the life of Johnny Cash staged its official opening. The museum in Nashville, Tennessee, was set up by wife and husband team Shannon and Bill Miller and features the largest and most comprehensive collection of Johnny Cash artifacts and memorabilia in the world.
2015: Julie Harris, an Academy Award-winning costume designer who outfitted The Beatles for their films 'A Hard Day's Night' and 'Help!,' passed away at the age of 94. She was once quoted as saying, "I must be one of the few people who can claim they have seen John, Paul, George and Ringo naked."
2015, Jeremy Brown, guitarist for Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts, died of unknown causes at the age of 34. Brown began playing with the Stone Temple Pilots singer in 2008.
2017: Liam Gallagher, of Oasis fame, plays his first solo concert in the U.K. in his hometown of Manchester, to benefit the British Red Cross. This comes after the 5/22 terrorist attack in Manchester following pop singer Ariana Grande's concert.

May 31
1956: Buddy Holly, sees the John Wayne movie 'The Searchers' and gains some song writing inspiration when Wayne utters the line "That'll be the day."
1961: Jimi Hendrix enlists in the Army for 3 years and is stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky as a member of the Screaming Eagles fighting squad. He is honorably discharged a little over a year later after breaking his ankle during a parachute jum
1961: Chuck Berry opens an amusement park that he calls Berry Park, in Wentzville, Missouri near St. Louis. The 30-acre complex features a swimming pool, miniature golf course, Ferris wheel, a children's zoo and a picnic grove with barbecue pits.
1962: The Beatles played the last night of a 7-week run at the Star-Club in Hamburg, West Germany. During their residency they would play for four-and-a-half hours on weekdays and six hours on Saturdays, with some songs lasting over 20 minutes to fill out the time.
1964: The Dave Clark Five appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first of 11 appearances. They perform 'Glad All Over.'
1966: Filming begins on 'The Monkees (Here Come The Monkees),' the first filmed episode of the television series The Monkees (though not the first shown). The Monkees' first single, 'Last Train to Clarksville' was released in August 1966, just weeks prior to the TV broadcast debut. In conjunction with the first broadcast of the television show on September 12, 1966 on the NBC television network, NBC and Columbia had a major hit on their hands.
1967: Big Brother & the Holding Company film a scene in the Richard Lester movie 'Petulia.'
1968: Love appeared at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan
1968: Working on what will become The White album, The Beatles add overdubs of bass and vocals on ‘Revolution’. After numerous overdubs have been added, the final six minutes of the song evolved into chaotic, jamming, with Lennon repeatedly shouting "alright” and Yoko Ono speaking random phrases. The jam becomes the basis for ‘Revolution 9’, and this session is the first that Yoko attends.
1968: Jimi Hendrix appeared at Hallenstadion in Zürich, Switzerland.
1969: Jimi Hendrix was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, on sale for 35 Cents.
1969: During their Montreal bed-in, John Lennon and Yoko Ono recorded 'Give Peace a Chance.'
1969: The Rolling Stones recorded 'Honky Tonk Women.'
1969: Joe Cocker's 'With A Little Help From My Friends' album hits the charts.
1969: The Allman Brothers Band played at the Boston Tea Party in Boston, Massachusetts.
1969: Pink Floyd appeared at the “Eight Weeks Ball” held at the Main Marquee, Pembroke College, Oxford, England.
1970: Black Sabbath's self-titled debut studio album is released. They played at Malvern Winter Gardens in Worcestershire, England.
1971: Badfinger records 'Day After Day.'
1971: The Allman Brothers Band played at the Piedmont Music Festival in Atlanta, Georgia.
1972: Roxy Music appeared at the Marquee Club in London.
1973: To celebrate John Bonham’s 25th birthday, Robert Plant leads an audience at the Felt Forum in Los Angeles in a rendition of “Happy Birthday.” Later that night Bonham celebrates with George Harrison, who ends up throwing his birthday cake at the drummer. Bonham tosses Harrison into the hotel pool.
1973: Deep Purple performed at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1973: Steely Dan received their first Gold record for their debut album 'Can’t Buy a Thrill,' which went on to be certified Platinum 20 years later.
1974: Gordon Lightfoot's LP 'Sundown' is certified gold, on the strength of the title tune, which went to #1, and 'Carefree Highway' which climbed to #10.
1974: Chicago's 'Call On Me' b/w 'Prelude To Aire' 45 single is released. From their album 'Chicago VII,' it reached #6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Easy Listening chart.
1974: Roxy Music appeared at Painter’s Mill Music Fair in Owings Mills, Maryland.
1975: For John Bonham's 25th birthday, Robert Plant led an audience at the Forum in Los Angeles in a rendition of 'Happy Birthday.' Later that night Bonham celebrated with George Harrison, who ended up throwing a birthday cake at the drummer. Bonham then tossed Harrison into the hotel pool.
1975: During a press conference held at the 5th Avenue Hotel in New York City to announce The Rolling Stones forthcoming American tour, the Stones themselves came down the street playing live from the back of a flat-bed truck.
1975: The Eagles release 'One Of These Nights,' which will become the second of their five US #1 singles. The B-side, 'Visions,' features lead vocals by guitarist Don Felder, the only Eagles song to do so.
1975: 10cc's 'I'm Not In Love' b/w 'Channel Swimmer' 45 single is released. It became the band's second #1 single and stayed on the top spot in the UK for two weeks. Largely expected to scale the Hot 100 summit, the record only peaked at #2 in the US for three weeks, shut out of the top spot by a different number-one song each week (Van McCoy's 'The Hustle,' The Eagles 'One Of These Nights,' and the Bee Gees' 'Jive Talkin').
1976: The Who headline a bill at the Charlton Athletic Grounds in England and put their name into the Guiness Book of World Records as the loudest rock band ever, when their set measures at 120 decibels. Supporting acts are The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Little Feat, The Outlaws and Streetwalkers. Motörhead and Manowar go on to break the record decades later. The loudest crowd roar at a sports stadium is 142.2 decibels and was achieved by fans of the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in September of 2014.
1976: The Beatles 'Got To Get You Into My Life' b/w 'Helter Skelter' 45 single is released. First released in 1966 on the album 'Revolver,' it was released as a single from the 'Rock 'n' Roll Music' compilation album in 1976, a decade after its initial release and six years after The Beatles split up. It reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, The Beatles' last top 10 hit there until their 1995 release 'Free as a Bird.'
1976: Yes played at Freedom Hall Civic Center in Johnson City, Tennessee.
1977: Beatlemania opens on Broadway. It runs for a total of 1,006 performances.
1977: Kiss release their 14th single 'Christine Sixteen.'
1977: Emerson, Lake & Palmer kicked off an American tour accompanied by a 70-piece orchestra. It cost the band 200-thousand dollars a week to keep the circus on the road.
1977: The Patti Smith group started a nine night residency at New York’s CBGB’s.
1977: The Police appeared at The Railway Hotel in Putney, London.
1977: Emerson, Lake & Palmer kick off an American tour accompanied by a 70-piece orchestra. It costs the band $200,000 a week to keep the circus on the road.
1977: Britain's BBC announced a ban on the Sex Pistols' anti-royalist song 'God Save The Queen,' saying it is "in gross bad taste." The cover of the single showed a picture of The Queen with a safety pin through her lip. Shops and pressing plant workers refused to handle the record, but it still managed to reach #2 on the UK chart.
1978: David Bowie performed at the Falkoner Theater in Copenhagen, Denmark.
1979: Dire Straits played at Rhein-Neckar Halle in Heidelberg, Germany.
1979: Supertramp perform at New York's Madison Square Garden, where they receive a Gold record for their million selling album 'Breakfast In America.'
1979: Steely Dan earns a gold record for 'Can't Buy A Thrill.' The album features the group's first hit 'Reeling In The Years.'
1980: The J. Geils Band peaked at #38 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with 'Love Stinks,' their 6th top 40 single in the U.S.
1980: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes REO Speedwagon’s 'Time For Me To Fly' #90 (debut), The J. Geils Band’s 'Love Stinks' at #38, Billy Joel’s 'You May Be Right' at #33, The Clash’s 'Train In Vain (Stand By Me)' at #23, Bette Midler’s 'The Rose' at #11 & Lipps, Inc.’s 'Funky Town' was #1. ‬
1981: ZZ Top appeared at Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.
1982: The Clash released 'Combat Rock.'
1982: R.E.M. signed a five-album deal with I.R.S. Records, an independent label based in California. When their contract with I.R.S. Records ended in 1988, they signed with Warner Brothers Records.
1982: The Rolling Stones play an unannounced show at London's 100 Club, a citadel of the Punk movement. The Sex Pistols played there six years earlier.
1983: 'Speaking In Tongues,' the Talking Heads first platinum album, is released. The band's 5th studio album reached #15 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart; #55 on the Top R&B Albums chart, and #21 on the UK Albums chart. The single, 'Burning Down the House,' reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.
1983: 220 Volt released their self-titled debut album.
1984: Bob Dylan performed at St. Pauli Stadion in Hamburg, Germany.
1985: The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), sends its first letter to the RIAA requesting a ratings system for albums and concerts. The group is led by Tipper Gore, who is the wife of Senator Al Gore, so the record industry takes it seriously, and cuts back on their Metal budgets. The end result is warning stickers on albums containing offensive lyrics.
1986: Jeff Krulik and John Heyn film the parking-lot antics of fans tailgating at a Judas Priest concert in Landover, Maryland. The result is 'Heavy Metal Parking Lot,' a 16-minute film that captures the energy and absurdity of heavy metal culture in the '80s.
1986: Peter Gabriel notched his second solo UK #1 album with 'So,' featuring the singles 'Sledgehammer' and a duet with Kate Bush 'Don’t Give Up.'
1986: Genesis enters the Hot 100 with 'Invisible Touch,' joining four acts by current or former members of the group on the chart.
1986: Billboard’s Hot 100 includes Van Halen’s 'Dreams' at #48, Genesis’ 'Invisible Touch' at #45 (debut), Psychedelic Furs’ 'Pretty In Pink' at #41, Van Halen’s 'Why Can’t This Be Love' at #21, Heart’s 'Nothin’ At All' at #17, and Mike + The Mechanics’ 'All I Need Is A Miracle' at #6.
1989: At New York’s International Rock Awards, Keith Richards was given the Living Legend Award. The Rolling Stones guitarist was joined in the all-star jam by Eric Clapton and Tina Turner. Eric Clapton takes the trophy for Best Guitarist.
1989: Embroiled in litigation over the use of the name Yes, several band members announced they planned to tour under the name Yesshows.
1989: David Bowie's Tin Machine made their live debut at the International Music Awards in New York.
1992: The Grateful Dead played at the Sam Boyd Silver Bowl in Las Vegas.
1993: Jon Bon Jovi's wife Dorothea Hurley gives birth to their first child, a daughter named Stephanie Rose.
1994: Pink Floyd's 'Take It Back' b/w 'Astronomy Domine (Live)' 45 single is released.
1993: Alan McGhee, head of Creation Records, sees Oasis perform in Glasgow. Thinking he's found a cross between the Sex Pistols and The Beatles, he signs the group.
1999: Phil Kramer, who took Lee Dorman's place when Iron Butterfly re-formed in 1975, was found in a canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains, over four years after he called a police to say he was going to commit suicide. At the time of his death, he was 42.
2000: The Guess Who reunites for a tour.
2004: American guitarist Robert Quine was found dead of a heroin overdose in his New York City home. Worked with Richard Hell And The Voidoids, Lou Reed, Brian Eno, Lloyd Cole, Marianne Faithfull, Tom Waits, and They Might Be Giants
2005: Jackson United, a side project of Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett, releases their debut album, 'Western Ballads.' In addition to his guitar work, Shiflett handles lead vocals.
2005: Puddle Of Mudd release their first DVD, 'Live at the Key Club: Striking That Familiar Chord.' The two hour concert was taped in West Hollywood the previous November. There's also an acoustic set and band interviews.
2005: Billy Idol, Megadeth's Dave Mustaine and Alice Cooper are heard on the 'Rock School' soundtrack. The documentary is about the Philadelphia music school for children who want to learn to Rock.
2005: After being in operation for over 70 years, The Salvation Army closed Strawberry Field, a Liverpool children's home which inspired The Beatles’ song 'Strawberry Fields Forever.'
2006: VH1 Rock Honors, paying tribute to Def Leppard, KISS, Judas Priest and Queen, is broadcast.
2006: Pearl Jam perform in front of a few hundred fans at a small New York club for a taping of an episode of VH1 Storytellers.
2007: Rob Grill, lead singer of The Grass Roots, is arrested for illegal possession of prescription painkillers at his home in Mount Dora, Florida.
2007: 'Bob Dylan: Intimate Insights From Friends and Fellow Musicians' is unveiled at Book Expo 2007 in New York. Collected by journalist Kathleen Mackay, it features stories about Dylan from Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, U2's Bono and members of The Beatles and The Band.
2007: U2 guitarist the Edge hosts the 2008 Icons of Music Sale in New York. The event benefits Music Rising, the Hurricane Katrina-relief charity he co-founded. The auction features rare memorabilia including two of The Edge's guitars and a hand written poem by Jim Morrison. Nine Inch Nails, Green Day, Metallica, Slash and Jimmy Page also contribute items.
2008: Ex-Talking Heads frontman David Byrne transforms Battery Maritime Building in New York into a musical instrument by attaching devices that cause beams and pipes in the structure to vibrate and produce sound. It's an 11-day exhibition.
2008: Death Cab For Cutie were at #1 on the US album chart with their 6th release 'Narrow Stairs.'
2009: KISS' Gene Simmons is interviewed on A&E's 'Private Sessions.'
2009: Kings Of Leon perform 'Use Somebody' at the MTV Movie Awards in Universal City.
2010: 'Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It' makes its debut on VH1. The series takes a "serious look" at the Poison frontman's offstage life.
Arch Enemy released their album, 'Khaos Legions.' It was their last album with vocalist Angela Gossow.
It debuted at #78 on the Billboard 200 chart.
2011: Black Stone Cherry's 3rd album, 'The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea" is released.
2011: Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder releases the 16 track album 'Ukulele Songs,' his sophomore solo album.
2011: Gibson Guitar's website names Led Zeppelin's John Bonham the #1 Rock drummer of all time. "For this ability to make a band sway and groove like no other, never hogging the spotlight but remaining the subtle champion of Led Zeppelin, Gibson.com recognizes him as our Top Rock drummer, a talent unrivaled and irreplaceable," reads the site.
2011: A John Bonham birthday tribute concert is held at the House Of Blues in L.A. "When I first thought of this, the idea seemed too cool and simple not to try; get a John Bonham replica drum set, complete with gong and timpani, up front, center stage, and have each drummer perform their favorite Led Zep song with a house band (The Moby Dicks)," says Whitesnake drummer Brian Tichy. In addition to Tichy, the drummers include Steven Adler (Guns N' Roses), Matt Sorum (Velvet Revolver/Guns N' Roses) and Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater).
2012: Alice In Chains co-founder Jerry Cantrell is given the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award at the eighth annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert at Club Nokia in L.A. The honor is for the guitarist's dedication and support of the MusiCares MAP Fund, and for his commitment to helping other addicts with the addiction and recovery process.
2012: Izzy Stradlin joined Guns N’ Roses on stage at the O2 Arena in London, England to play the songs 14 Years (first time live since 1991), You Could Be Mine, Dead Flowers, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Nightrain and Paradise City.
2013: Scott Weiland files a countersuit against his former band Stone Temple Pilots. He seeks in excess of $7 million in damages for what he believes was a conspiracy to oust him. In the documents Weiland asks, "How do you expel a man from the band that he started, named, sang lead on every song, wrote the lyrics, and was the face of for twenty years? You don't, but three of the instrumentalists from the band 'Stone Temple Pilots'' tried."
2014: Queen's musical, 'We Will Rock You,' closes after a 12-year run London's Dominion Theatre. There were 4,600 performances for more than 6.5 million people.
2014: The trustee for Randy California, leader of the band Spirit who died in 1997, sues Led Zeppelin, claiming a song California wrote called 'Taurus' was stolen for the intro to 'Stairway To Heaven.' One of the claims in the suit: "Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin were fans of Spirit, were aware of their album, and were influenced on an emotional level by their performances and recordings, so much so that they would go to watch Spirit perform in concert... Merely four days after opening for Spirit, Zeppelin had already lifted Spirit's material for their live sets."
2015: Over $155,000 is raised during two fundraisers to benefit the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund. A celebrity bowling tournament and a motorcycle ride/BBQ/concert in the L.A. area mark the fifth anniversary of the singer's passing due to stomach cancer.
2015: Members of Mastodon appear in an episode of the cable TV series 'Game of Thrones,' playing a group of wildings who are brutally murdered before getting resurrected by White Walkers.
2016: A report from the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office in Minnesota said Prince died from an accidental overdose of the painkiller fentanyl. According to the autopsy report, Prince self-administered fentanyl, an opioid many times more powerful than heroin.
2016: Prophets Of Rage, featuring members of Rage Against The Machine (Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk), along with Rappers Chuck D from Public Enemy and B-Real from Cypress Hill make its live debut at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood.
2017: A guitar owned and played by the late Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia sells for $1.9 million. Proceeds from the "Wolf" guitar sale are donated to the Southern Poverty Law Center.